


Allied Shinobi Chronicles, Story 1: Mission to Amegakure

by ladykatsuyu



Series: Allied Shinobi Chronicles [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Characters in heat, Crack Relationships, Developing Relationship, Epilogue, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Romantic Angst, Romantic Comedy, Shinobi Union, Shinobi in heat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 06:13:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 64,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11822865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladykatsuyu/pseuds/ladykatsuyu
Summary: Takes place about a year after the fourth war. The Shinobi Union has been trying to get Amegakure to join, but the village has not had stable leadership since the Akatsuki and has 3 clans fighting for leadership over the village. The Village Police Force has asked the Union to help them convince the clans for form a joint leadership. ShikaTema ChouKarui NaruHina LeeTen SaiIno and others.





	1. Meeting of the Union

It had been at least a year since The Fourth Shinobi World War, and many shinobi were still working hard to restore their villages and way of life. Families were still mourning their lost, and the economy still needed time to recover. All shinobi work and much of the civilian work had been halted, leaving may people desperate for money. The allies suffered heavily on all sides, but fortunately the bond that had been forged during the great war lasted into the times of peace.  
  
After the great war, the Allied Shinobi Forces formed the Shinobi Union, an organization primarily led by the Kage. Under the Union, the hidden villages and their associated countries quickly recovered from the Fourth Shinobi World War. In the interest of preserving the peace, a representative from each member village was stationed in every other hidden village so that they could discuss common issues and pursue mutual interests.  
  
The Union accepted missions from clients and formed teams from all its member nations' shinobi who were found to be most suitable for the mission. Such a system provided equal opportunity to all villages, eliminating the need for future conflicts.  
  
Each village sent a representative to represent their hidden village of origin for the Union. These shinobi met monthly in the Land of Iron at the Shinobi Union Headquarters.  
  
Their Head Representative and Chief Organizer, Shikamaru Nara, sat on a bench by the large frost-covered windows of the upper floors of the Shinobi Union, lazily looking outside at the clouds sailing across the snow topped mountains of the Land of Iron. To any passerby, he might appear unfocused and bored, but in reality, he was running through the meeting’s agenda in his head; notes he and Temari worked on the night before; and details of important diplomats who would be present today. Truth be told, he was anxious.  
   
“Shikamaru, it's time,” called Temari from the end of the hall. Shikamaru suppressed a sigh as he slowly stood and gathered his things to join her.  
   
“Are you ready?” She said as she moved to his left to walk beside him as they walked toward the door that lead to the conference room.  
   
“As I'll ever be,” he said, a note of irritation in his voice.  
   
She scowled at him. “I hope you are taking this seriously. The role you were given isn't something to take lightly. We are already close to a year after the war, and if we are going to move forward with a peaceful allied shinobi union across all nations we need not just them to join us, but others, and--”  
   
“I take this very seriously, Temari. Just as seriously as you do. You know that. I'm just--” he paused, frowning slightly, and not able to continue as they stood in front of the door to the conference room. Voices and loud laughter could be heard on the other side.  
   
Suddenly, she grabbed his left hand and laced her fingers through it, gripping it softly. He looked at her surprised. Keeping her gaze firmly on the door and avoiding his eyes, she smiled slightly and softly whispered, “you will do well. I have faith in you.” Shikamaru blushed lightly before she released his hand and moved to open the door. Relaxing his face to hide all expression, he shoved that hand into his pocket and shifted the contents of his report to tuck under his left arm to free up his right hand.  
   
They walked into the large conference room together and greeted various diplomats standing around the large u-shape table.  
   
Representatives from the Five Great Shinobi Nations, The Land of Iron, and other important diplomats stood around the room speaking with one another.  
   
Temari, ever the politically-savvy kunoichi, walked around to each group to greet everyone with a wide smile and a firm handshake. Shikamaru followed her and listened with a smile as she asked them for updates on affairs in their villages - but said very little, eventually opting to speak to a few representatives of the Land of Iron to pass the time before the meeting officially started.  
   
“Shikamaru, it’s been a while.”  
   
Shikamaru turned to see Kankuro smiling and extending his hand out to shake Shikamaru’s hand. Shikamaru returned the smile, and reached out to shake his hand firmly, but quickly moved his hand away afterward to grab some of the papers slipping out from under his left arm - still never taking his left hand out of his pocket.  
   
Kankuro peered down with a raised purple eyebrow at the hand still sitting firmly in Shikamaru’s pocket, then looked up at him, smiled and said, “It’s good to see you, Shikamaru. Hopefully Temari hasn’t been on your case too much recently? We both know how much of a nag she can be.”  
   
Temari turned away from her conversation with Chojuro and Misuno for a brief second and scowled at Kankuro before turning back to continue.  
   
Shikamaru laughed nervously and said, “Well, she wouldn’t be Temari if she wasn’t always bossing me around and making me do things I don’t really want to do.”  
   
Kankuro grinned slyly and said, “Well, you’ve always seemed like the kind of guy who needs someone to hold your hand in order to make you do something,” Kankuro peered down at Shikamaru’s hand in his pocket with a smirk more before walking off to talk with Omoi and Darui.  
   
Shikamaru sighed before turning back to the others in the room, muttering to himself, “Troublesome…”  
   
As the meeting time rolled around, everyone moved to sit down in their usual places around the table. Shikamaru moved to take the seat at the small rectangular table set up in the front of the room at the head of the u-shaped conference table. Temari moved to the end of the u-shaped table to sit near him on his right. Keeping his hand in his pocket, Shikamaru placed the his other hand on the table in front of him and shuffled through his report papers, looking for something he needed before the start of the meeting.  
   
“So, Shikamaru, what's going on that can't wait until we meet in 3 weeks?” said Kurotsuchi casually as she leaned on the table with her elbow, rested her cheek on the palm and knuckles of one hand and half-smiled at him.  
   
Shikamaru nodded in her direction, and peered at Temari from the corner of his eye for only a second before he began:  
   
“Right. Thank you all for coming outside of our usual schedule. We’ve been presented with a request that has been marked as ‘time sensitive’ that needs immediate action on our part. You have been called here so that we can come to an agreement as to how to proceed. As you all know, negotiations with Amegakure haven’t gone as we have hoped -- there has been no clear leader since the death of Akatsuki members Nagato and Konan. It is our understanding that there are now three main clans fighting for leadership over the village. Constant civil war is causing great hardship on the villagers, leading to many unnecessary civilian deaths. We have been contacted by the village police department who is asking for assistance from the Shinobi Union with negotiations among the three clans and possibly assistance with protection of their citizens. Two clans are willing to form a joint leadership, but one is not. Police Chief Hiroki Kazuhiko believes there is war brewing between both the clans who are willing to form the joint leadership and the remaining clan over leadership of the village. They believe solid negotiations would prevent this impending war. However, they believe that if negotiations cannot be made, they will need assistance with protecting the villagers during the war.”  
   
“Why do they need help from shinobi,” said Kurotsuchi, eyebrow raised. “Can they not protect their own citizens? Do they not have shinobi on their force? And what about the shinobi of their village?”  
   
“The police department is comprised of citizens, or non-shinobi. The groups fighting for control over the village are becoming too difficult for them to handle themselves. And the vast majority of the shinobi from their village have been hired by one of the three clans, so they aren’t able to rely on their own shinobi to handle the problem,” said Shikamaru. “They are having a difficult time performing their primary duty, which is to protect the citizens of the village. In the past, they worked alongside the village leader and village shinobi. Now, they do not have that support system.”  
   
“W-well...Shikamaru…what are you suggesting that we do,” said Chojuro.  
   
Shikamaru flexed the hand that was in his pocket. “you will do well. I have faith in you,” he remembered.  
   
“I think we should send in a specialized group of shinobi to complete this mission. But, I don't expect this to be easy. The three clans have special jutsu that could be troublesome for even the experienced jounin.  
   
As I mentioned, there are three clans:  
   
The Dokusuto Clan, lead by Yori Dokusuto, who has roughly 500 shinobi under his command, and possibly more we have not accounted for. Dokusuto is paying the highest in terms of shinobi salaries but his selection process is tight-rigid. He has a personal guard of 100 Shinobi whom he commands that watches over his household, but he does not send them out to fight. We have been told that he and his shinobi primarily use water style jutsu.  
   
The Masanori Clan is another clan and is lead by Tsuneo Masanori, who has roughly 300 shinobi under his command. He, also, has a personal guard of 50 Shinobi whom he commands that watches over his household, but he, too, does not send them out to fight. Little is known about these 50 shinobi. His shinobi are primarily family members and members of his clan. They are genjutsu users, and known for their intimidation tactics.  
   
Finally, we have the Takeshi Clan, lead by renown gangster Goro Takeshi, who is reported to have about 1500 Shinobi and an average of 500 non-shinobi fighters who are citizens of the village. Goro has offered jobs to non-Shinobi at low wages compared to the normal shinobi salary, but high for many of the citizens of the village for jobs in the village. This money has been an asset to many civilians and many see him as a ‘god-sent’ because of the lack of jobs available at this time due to the war. But taking these jobs come at great risk to the fighter. Many have lost their lives fighting shinobi; Goro is continuously cycling in new fighters because the jobs are on high demand. Goro owns lots of property in the village - mostly hotels, night clubs, bars, restaurants and other businesses. Goro’s clan specializes in Fūinjutsu, Bukijutsu, Kenjutsu and Taijutsu. They are also known for their use of food pills during battle to increase their fighting power, but little is known about these pills.  
   
The police have tried negotiating with all three clans, and so far Masanori and Dokusuto seem to be willing to come to an agreement, but not Goro.  
   
As I mentioned before, according to the police force, there is an impending war on the horizon between the two clans and Goro. Unless Goro can be convinced to join the joint leadership, the war will go on.”  
  
“So, you’re saying that we may need to work with the police force and other clans to stop Goro and his gang before this can happen, right?” said Kurotsuchi.  
  
“Actually, no,” said Shikamaru.  
  
“What do you mean?” said Kankuro as he looked back and forth at Shikamaru and Temari in confusion.  
  
“Doing that would go against what this organization stands to do,” said Shikamaru with a tone of finality.  
  
“I’m not sure if I understand. I thought we were trying to prevent war and preserve peace?” said Omoi, brow furrowing in confusion.  
  
“And, as shinobi, why wouldn’t we use our skills to fight Goro and prevent this war from occurring? To keep civilians safe?” said Darui as he looked at Shikamaru skeptically.  
  
Shikamaru looked down at the table and closed his eyes. Temari looked at him nervously and wondered if she should say something to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.  
  
“What you are suggesting,” said Shikamaru, looking up slowly, “is that we step in an shape the outcome of the situation. The outcome of the war and the leadership of the village?”  
  
“What is wrong with that? Especially since we would be able to shape things using an outside, non-biased perspective,” said Kankuro.  
  
“I mean, why can’t we just go in and kill the bastard who keeps pissing in the flower pot and killing all the pretty flowers,” said Kurotsuchi with a tone of annoyance.  
  
“Our organization is not responsible for that, nor should we get involved with that. Our focus is on maintaining international peace and security and developing friendly relations among nations. Our primary mission is promoting social progress and creating better living standards and protecting human rights of shinobi and civilians alike. Politicking is not our focus and installing the best leadership is not our mission,” said Temari, looking around the room at everyone at the table. Shikamaru gave her a slight smile, which she returned.  
  
“I see…I understand what you are saying, Shikamaru, Temari…” said Omoi quietly, nodding slowly.  
  
“But shaping the outcome of the situation would prevent a war from occurring, would keep the peace and would prevent a lot more people from dying,” Kurosuchi continued. “I still think Kankuro was on to something there.”  
  
“But what if we choose the wrong outcome? The wrong leader? Or leaders? Our main focus has always been protecting citizens and shinobi and forming a joint union between the nations. As Temari said: ‘friendly relations between the nations’ is our focus. We are not responsible for the governing of each individual nation nor should we ever get involved with that. Doing something such as…assassinating Goro to prevent the war, for example…” Omoi looked at Kurotsuchi with a raised eyebrow before continuing, “wouldn’t follow along with our organization’s core function.”  
  
There was silence around the room as everyone contemplated this.  
  
“I suppose I see what you are saying,” said Kankuro.  
  
“Yes, yes, I suppose that makes sense,” said Kurotsuchi, waving a hand in the air in dismissal, eyes closed in annoyance.  
  
“Continue, Shikamaru,” said Omoi with a small smile and nod in his direction.  
   
Shikamaru continues. “Right. Well, um, if Goro and the two clans do not come to an agreement, I am concerned about the citizens and how they will be effected during the war.” Many of the individuals around the table tensed at this statement, remembering the death and carnage of the most recent war.  
  
“If the war occurs, our primary responsibility will be to keep the citizens safe. This will likely require shinobi with certain types of ninjutsu abilities in order to counteract the clan’s attacks, as well as medic ninja who are trained in battle who can assist the citizens who are injured.  
   
I propose that we work with two groups of shinobi. One group will work with Masanori and Dokusuto, and the other will work on Goro.  Both will work alongside the police force and report together regularly. We will assist the police force with negotiations among the three clans on forming a joint leadership.”  
   
“Who do you suggest that we send?” asked Chojuro.  
   
“I have provided a list of jounin whom I believe would fit the criteria. You will find the list in the folder in front of you,” said Shikamaru.  
   
Folders opened, and silence filled the room as people scanned the sheet.  
  
  
Team 1  
Leader: Shikamaru Nara  
Primary Negotiator, second in Command, and fighter as needed  
Naruto Uzumaki  
Medic, Sensory, and Fighter; Ino Primary Communications, Genjutsu Release  
Hinata Hyuga  
Communications, Sensory, Air Infantry, Genjutsu Release  
Sai  
Taijutsu specialist  
Rock Lee  
Militarized Weapons Expert  
TenTen  
Food Pill Expert, Taijutsu specialist  
Chouji Akimichi  
Weapons Fighter  
Karui  
Weapons Fighter  
Omoi  
  
  
  
Team 2  
Leader: Temari  
Primary Negotiator, second in Command, and fighter as needed  
Kankuro  
Medic, Sensory, and Fighter; Ino Primary Communications, Genjutsu Release  
Ino Yamanaka  
Communications, Sensory, Air Infantry, Genjutsu Release  
Shino Aburame  
Taijutsu specialist  
Kiba Inuzuka  
Weapons Fighter  
Chojuro  
Weapons Fighter  
Misuno  
Earth Style user  
Kurotsuchi  
Earth Style user  
Akatsuchi  
  
  
  
  
  
          
Suddenly, someone let out a soft snort of laughter.  
   
“Naruto…Uzumaki...eh,” said Omoi.  
   
“He will serve as our primary negotiator along with Kankuro, and the two team leaders of course,” said Temari. “They both have excellent negotiating skills and solid experience.”  
  
“We are hoping that Team 1 would handle Goro and his clan. We included jounin who specialized in areas that could combat their jutsu, if needed. Team 2 has individuals on it’s team with jutsu that will combat water-style and genjutsu.”  
  
“I see that you’ve volunteered us as shinobi assigned to this mission,” said Kurotsuchi with a smirk as she looked at Akatsuchi, who shrugged in return, and Omoi who was staring down at the paper with a look of anxiety present on his face.  
  
“Karui and I haven’t paired up in a long time,” said Omoi with a note of hesitation in his voice.  
  
“Is that a problem,” said Temari.  
  
“No, not exactly. I just hope she isn’t rusty since shes been working in an office for months,” said Omoi, his voice laced with anxiety.  
  
“But, Omoi, you’ve been doing the same thing,” said Darui, looking at him with tired eyes.  
  
“Yes, but, I’ve at least been practicing in my head and even occasionally in my free time. She’s been too distracted by the opposite sex to even think about practicing,” said Omoi, with a groan of anxiety.  
  
Many people around the table laughed at this, and Temari and Shikamaru exchanged knowing glances and smirks.  
  
“So, shall we proceed? Any changes? Or is this ready to go to the Kage,” said Shikamaru, looking around the room.  
   
“Everything looks fine to me. I see no problem with this plan. I agree with it and think we should move forward,” said Kurotsuchi with a thumbs up and a wink.  
   
Omoi waved a hand in agreement, eyes shifting left and right as his mind rushed with thoughts.  
   
“O-ok. I am in agreement as well. Let’s move forward,” said Chojuro with a nervous smile.  
   
Temari smiled slightly, and nodded.  
   
Shikamaru looked around the room as others nodded in agreement.  
   
“Okay. Then we will move forward with the plan. Feel free to report this information to your villages when you return; however, we will send messengers immediately after this meeting seeking approval from the Kage. Thank you all for you time and efforts. Without you, this union would not be successful. Meeting adjourned.”  
   
Dozens of chairs shuffled and slid across the floor as diplomats moved to talk to one another or leave. Temari moved to collect meeting folders sitting out on the table. Shikamaru stood and moved to collect folders as well, and placed them on the table he sat at.  
   
“You did well,” Temari whispered softly as she came up beside him, setting the remaining folders in the table and brushing his shoulder slightly before turning to talk to Chojuro.  
   
Shikamaru smiled to himself briefly before turning to join their conversation.


	2. Kage Approval

Recovery efforts in Konohagakure were progressing well. Much of the village had already been restored after the assault from Pain, so the village had been used as a safe-haven during the war. Thankfully, the village had not sustained much damage due to the war. The village's population went down substantially after the assault from Pain and the war, but efforts were being made to encourage growth in that area. However, losses were still being felt by many of the families and comrades of deceased shinobi. Jobs were still scarce, and many businesses were still closed or permanently closed.

Still, the shinobi and civilians of Konoha worked hard to restore their village and way of life. Even during these times of difficulty, there was a feeling of goodwill and hope ever present in the village.

Shizune walked down the hall carrying a tray of fresh tea and a small scroll that had the label Hokage printed on it with an official stamp from the Shinobi Union messengers.

She opened the door to the Hokage Office, not bothering to knock, and placed her items on the corner of the Hokage's desk.

"Lord Hokage, a message for you," she said, handing him the scroll. "And tea. It's about that time of day."

"Thank you, Shizune. And what did I say about calling me that? Kakashi is fine," he said, eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiled at her warmly and took the scroll. "Did you read this yet?"

"As per your request, I usual do," said Shizune, a tone of discomfort hidden beneath her response.

"And," said Kakashi expectantly, grabbing the teapot and cup and pouring himself a cup. "I usually ask you to read these because you usually summarize the contents so well for me. I'd rather hear you tell me what's inside them than read them be myself. Feel free to have some, by the way," he said, while motioning to the other empty tea cup.

"I had thought Naruto would be here. That's why I brought two," Shizune said, grabbing the other cup and bowing slightly as Kakashi poured her some tea. "You know, I really should be doing that for you," she said with a half smile.

"I can pour my own tea, Shizune. Becoming Hokage doesn't make me an invalid," said Kakashi with a tone of annoyance. "Naruto is out running errands for me and likely getting lunch."

"Ah, I see. Ramen break," said Shizune with a slight chuckle.

Kakashi nodded, smile again forming crinkles in the corners of his eyes as he took a sip of his tea. "So…the message," he said, looking up at her expectantly.

"Oh, yes. The representatives of the nations that make up the Shinobi Union have agreed to move forward with Shikamaru's plan. Kage have been contacted asking for their approval," said Shizune.

"Has anyone approved yet," said Kakashi.

"Suna, Kumo, Kiri, and Iron. Shikamaru wrote saying that they are just waiting to hear from the others whom he believes he will hear approval from in the next day or so."

"Good," said Kakashi, lacing his fingers under his chin. "When will he return?"

"We should expect him within the next 3 - 5 days. He is bringing Temari with him, and others will rendezvous here within that same time frame."

"Good," Kakashi repeated. He seemed to look at her with puppy dog eyes as he said, "Our guests will need accommodations—"

"Yes, I will coordinate that," said Shizune with a smirk.

"Good," Kakashi repeated, sounding slightly relieved. "Anything else?"

"You will need to address the mission with your shinobi in the next day or so. Shall I arrange for them to meet you?"

"Yes, please do so," said Kakashi, smiling again.

"Alright. I think that's everything," said Shizune, scanning the room as if looking for the answer.

"Thank you, Shizune. I don't know what I would do without you," said Kakashi, chuckling lightly.

"Oh, you would manage," said Shizune, grinning and waving a hand dismissively. She picked up the tray and started to leave when Kakashi said abruptly, "Oh, uh, Shizune?"

She turned to look at him and responded with, "Hm?" She had felt his eyes on her back as he had been watching her with a curious expression while she walked toward the door.

He paused. He continued to look at her for a moment, and appeared lost in deep inner turmoil. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

He suddenly looked away, scratched the back of his head nervously with one hand and waved the other in dismal as he said, "ah, never mind, I can't remember what I was going to say, but I'm pretty sure it was nothing important. I really need to get back to work. Thanks, again, for everything." He smiled at her again, then quickly turned his chair around and faced the windows making himself look busy undoing the scroll she brought him.

Her eyes narrowed at him briefly in question before she shrugged and continued to walk out the door, closing it with a snap.

While she was leaving, Kakashi was pretending to be busy opening and reading the scroll as his eyes widened in embarrassment. When he heard the door close he closed his eyes tightly, ducked his head in shame and sighed quietly. _Obito probably would've gotten a kick out of this,_ he thought bitterly. H _e's probably joking with Rin about how I have no problem attracting the opposite sex but, unlike him, I have no game when it comes to-_

Suddenly, the door reopened and Shizune walked back in. "Lord Hokage, something else." His head snapped up and his eyes widened in panic. He didn't immediately turn toward her, trying to relax his face before doing so.

"Yes, Shizune," he said, a note of annoyance in his voice, trying to make it sound like it was very busy and didn't want to be interrupted again.

"I know you haven't been eating the way you should be, and Tsunade warned me that not following a proper meal schedule and eating a balanced diet could result in many potential health problems. And we don't want the Hokage getting sick, especially right now when things are still so turbulent," she said, giving him a knowing look. "I know you will plan to stay late tonight, so allow me to bring you dinner tonight. And per Tsunade's request, I insist that you allow me to stay and be sure you eat every bite."

He looked at her with eyes wide in complete shock. She smiled at him innocently.

"Alright, Shizune. I appreciate your concern. Dinner would be nice. I'll plan to eat around 7:30," he said, trying to sound as "Hokage-like" as possible.

"Good! I'll see you later, then," said Shizune with a pleased smile, walking back out of the room and closing the door.

Kakashi starred at the door with narrowed eyes for a moment before silently chuckling to himself and scratching the back of his head. _Looking forward to it_ , he thought, with a smile, as he turned back in his chair and started to read the scroll.


	3. Reports

"Shikamaru, before we leave…another report came in from Police Chief Hiroki," said Temari, standing with her arms crossed as she leisurely leaned on the door frame of their hotel suite bedroom. Shikamaru was busy folding various articles of clothing and packing everything tightly into his travel pack.

Shikamaru looked up at her briefly with a raised eyebrow - an indication that she should continue - before turning back to his task.

"The police force is getting reports from the citizens that Goro's employees are exhibiting 'strange behavior.' Loved ones of the employees are reporting that they are seeing these employees either exhibit 'violent tendencies that are unlike their character,' or even mention things that sound like a 'deep worship of Goro.' What do you think this could be," said Temari.

Shikamaru sat down on the corner of the bed and rubbed the bottom of his chin in contemplation. "Hm. I've got a few theories. Genjutsu maybe? Or more likely, something related to those food pills Goro gives out," said Shikamaru, brow furrowing.

"I had a feeling you might say that. Do you think there's some sort of chemical in the food pills that could be causing this," said Temari.

"Most likely, but we won't know unless we get one of those food pills and test them," said Shikamaru.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, and Shikamaru peered toward it beyond Temari with a look of alarm.

"Who knows—" he began, looking up at Temari with a note of panic in his voice. He started looking around the room quickly, trying to figure out where he could hide if one of the Shinobi Union delegates had come calling.

"Relax, it's just Kankuro. And there is no need to hide, he's knows that we are here…together," she added, blushing slightly and not looking him in the eye.

She turned to walk toward the door and peered out the eye hole before unlocking the door. She opened it, and let Kankuro in, who immediately covered his eyes and said, "Tell me if it's safe to look. I don't want to walk in on you two doing it or anything."

Temari punched him hard in the shoulder and scowled, to which he responded with a hiss in protest and said, "Ow! Hey, I'm just trying to protect my eyesight! You can't get upset at me for that!" That earned him another punch, which he dodged.

He turned to Shikamaru, who was watching the scene with a scowl of annoyance. Kankuro gave him a small wave an grin before walking in and collapsing on the couch. Temari took the chair opposite of him, sat down more gracefully and said, "Why are you here, Kankuro? I thought we were meeting downstairs in an hour?"

"Just wanted to let you both know that some of the team has already arrived in Konoha. Omoi, Chouji, Karui, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi. We are still waiting for the Kiri shinobi, who are about a day away according to messengers."

Both Temari and Shikamaru nodded in affirmation.

"Also, we received our last report from the Police Chief before they will begin forwarding all reports to Konoha until we arrive. He says that there is now conflict between the Masanori clan and the Dokusuto clan. He will likely need our assistance when we arrive. But did not list any specifics."

"Oh, swell," said Shikamaru, a look of dread apparent on his face. Temari smirked at him.

"Anyway, that's about it," said Kankuro, stretching his hands over his head and squeezing his eyes shut in exhaustion. He peered one eye open, grinned and said, "Oh, and also, I just wanted to check on you guys. I didn't want you guys to cause us to be late leaving again because you two were—" but before he could finish, Temari covered his face with one of the decorative couch pillows.


	4. Heading to Konoha

After checking out of the hotel and witnessing more banter between the two Sand Siblings, Shikamaru was ready to get on the road and get back home to Konoha. They would only spend a night in Konoha before heading to Amegakure, but he was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed again and seeing his friends.

The walk through the snowy hills and forests of the Land of Iron always felt as if it took longer than it should, and the winds were always so brutal he could have sworn they were trying to take a person's breath away.

By nightfall, they had reached the edge of the Land of Fire and had escaped most of the snow. The three decided that they would make camp for the night and start again in the morning at full speed, making it to Konoha by late afternoon.

Two tents were erected and a fire was made. The three shared a warm pot of military ration instant soup, and discussed strategy for the upcoming mission.

"I think I'm going to hit the hay," said Temari, yawning. "We've got an early start tomorrow, boys. And we probably need to enjoy this this time to sleep while we've got it."

"Yeah, I'll go to bed in a minute," said Kankuro.

"Don't stay up too late," said Temari, frowning at him.

"Yeah, alright, Mom, I'll go to bed in a minute" said Kankuro with a tone of annoyance but a smirk in Shikamaru's direction. Shikamaru bit his bottom lip to prevent himself from smiling. Temari scowled at both of them before walking into her tent and closing the flap with a snap.

There was silence between the two men for a while. Both men stared at the fire, lost in thought.

"You know…I'm glad she's with you," said Kankuro, smiling slightly, still looking at the fire.

"Huh," said Shikamaru, looking at him quizzically.

"My sister. I'm glad she's with you," said Kankuro, now looking at him.

"Yeah, I figured that part out. But why," said Shikamaru.

"You should have seen some of the other idiots who have tried to snag her over the years. I'll give her credit — there were plenty of times when she was much nicer than she could've been when she turned them down. I suspect she was as nice as she was because she was the daughter of the Kazekage or the sister of the Kazekage…whatever it was at the time. But, there were some unfortunate souls who got full on rejected by her and…man, that was hilarious. She sent them flying. Literally," said Kankuro, chuckling to himself.

Shikamaru chuckled nervously but paled slightly at the thought of Temari sending a poor guy flying just for asking her out.

"But, for some strange reason…my sister is attracted to you. When you finally—" he said this last word with exaggerated exhaustion, "made a move on her, she didn't turn you down. I remember when she came back and told us. Gaara said, 'Finally…took him long enough. I was wondering if I was going to have to threaten him with a sand coffin.'"

Shikamaru gulped uncomfortably.

"I remember when she was an ambassador for Suna, before the war, and when she traveled to Konoha frequently. She always seemed happier after returning from Konoha and spending time with you. You should have seen the way she seemed to perk up a little when she knew the time was coming when she would return to Konoha and would see you."

Shikamaru smiled a little at that. He didn't say it, but he inwardly admitted to himself that he always looked forward to it as well.

"What I am trying to say is, you're not an idiot, and you make my sister happy. So, thank you," said Kankuro, grinning.

Shikamaru smiled in appreciation, and nodded his head slightly and said, "she's troublesome most of the time, but she makes me equally happy. I don't know what I would do without her at this point."

"Aw, look at you, getting all sentimental," said Kankuro, punching Shikamaru in the arm lightly, who blushed slightly.

"But, Shikamaru—" Kankuro looked at him with hard, piercing eyes, "if you hurt my sister or make her unhappy, you know you'll have me to deal with," he said, attempting to shadow over the other man and look as intimidating as possible. "And let's not forget Gaara…"

Shikamaru paled, shrinking slightly with every word Kankuro said. "Okay, okay, I get it. Don't hurt your sister, geez…" said Shikamaru, sweating slightly and holding his hands up in defense.

"Good. So long as we are clear," said Kankuro, settling back into his seat, a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Anyway, if the intimidation session is over, I think I'm going to go ahead and go to bed before your mom gets on my case," said Shikamaru, smirking, and beginning to rise to walk toward his shared tent with Temari.

Kankuro chuckled and waved his hand in Shikamaru's direction in dismissal.

Shikamaru walked into the tent, closing the flap behind himself as tight as it would go. When he turned to look at Temari, he smiled.

She was fast asleep breathing softly and laying on her stomach.

He got dressed for bed, and crawled as slowly and as gently as he could into the small cot they shared. Temari stirred slightly, moaning in protest at the burst of cold air on her back as he lifted their shared blanket to crawl underneath.

He leaned on his elbow and looked down at her for a moment, and smiled again. He leaned down and kissed an exposed section of her neck, which caused her to let out a sigh of contentment.

He laid his head down on his pillow and laid a hand over her waist. He gently pulled her closer to himself, and she obliged, shuffling as close to him and his warmth as possible.

He closed his eyes, smiled again, and thought, _yeah, extremely happy._


	5. Meeting in Kumogakure

The villages of Konohagakure and Kumogakure worked hard to solidify their bonds and made many efforts to increase trade between the two lands. An ambassador from each village was assigned and encouraged to work together as partners to accomplish these tasks.

Chouji Akimichi stood in the hall of the Raikage Tower outside of his partner's office waiting. He looked through the large glass windows of the Tower at the village below and watched the villagers who looked as small as ants as they moved about the streets doing their daily tasks. He smiled to himself as he imagined what each person was doing - a mother walking with her two children to go get groceries; an old man walking his dog; a young couple walking hand-in-hand out getting lunch. He was glad to see movement among the village as commerce picked up again. New products and familiar, but until recently absent products were now restocked and on sale at markets. Villagers were able to find food, clothing and other items needed for their families. And with this increase in commerce came the increase in available jobs, which was a relief for many.

A door behind him opened abruptly, and his partner walked out into the hallway and shut the door with a snap. The sound echoed down the long, empty hallway, lined with more windows.

She looked at her partner, smiled widely, and walked over to him quickly.

"Hi Karui. How're you today," he said, with a friendly smile in greeting.

"I'm great, Chouji. A bit hungry, to be honest. I was thinking we could take our usual meeting at an area I like by the river, with lunch? There's this great take-out place by the riverside that I think you might like." She looked at him with glimmering eyes, smiling hopefully.

Chouji looked to the left nervously, avoiding her eye contact. "Well, I'm…uh…not really hungry, to be honest...but I wouldn't mind a change of scenery. Meeting outside would be nice. It's a beautiful day!"

 _She has such beautiful eyes…_ thought Chouji. _And when the sun hits them just right, they glow like freshly polished gold medallions…_

She looked at him questioningly, then nodded, shrugged and said "well, maybe you will change your mind when we get to the restaurant. Are you ready to go?"

Chouji gave her a doubtful smile, but nodded.

They walked side by side, about a foot apart, and left the building to enter the village. They entered the street and started walking down the main road toward the riverfront shops. The many buildings and small roads of the village sat in tiered levels stacked up in a spiral toward the Raikage Tower, which sat in the middle of the village. As they walked, they were heading downhill and buildings on their left tiered upward while buildings on their right tiered downward. The river could be seen below.

"Oh, right, Chouji, you asked me the other day about where to find the local flower shop. That's it right there," said Karui as she moved close to him quickly, grabbing his sleeve and pointing in the direction of the shop on the left. He blushed slightly at her nearness, and responded with a squeak, "Oh, uh, cool. Ino asked me to pick up some sort of rare flower for her."

"Well maybe we can go look for it together, later," responded Karui with a bright smile, still holding on to him.

"Th-that'd be great!" said Chouji who returned the smile as his face continued to redden.

She backed off of him, apparently oblivious to what she was doing to him. She tapped her chin in contemplation, then said, "so, you've told me a little about Ino before and your family history. Who is that guy she's dating? Sai? I haven't met him yet."

"Right, Sai. He's a pretty nice guy. Seems to treat her well," said Chouji with a slight smile.

"That's good. Sai…that name sounds familiar…" Then her eyes suddenly widened in recognition as she said "OH! Sakura told me something about him!" She turned to Chouji and smirked. "Does he have a creepy smile and say things that tend to rub people the wrong way," Karui said with a chuckle.

Chouji laughed at this, and nodded. "He has some…um, personality issues that he's been dealing with. It's a little difficult to explain. Sakura or even Ino would be the better person to explain it to you. Though, you need to be careful about the way you ask Ino about it," he said with a grin.

"Right, right," said Karui as she closed her eyes in mock irritation and waved her hand dismissively.

"KARUI!" They both turned to see who shouted her name, and Karui let out an excited gasp. "Emeri!" She shouted as she turned and ran toward the young woman, arms outstretched.

"When did you get back into town," Karui asked the young woman with blond hair and blue eyes. Emeri smiled and responded with "the day before yesterday. I needed to return early for a medical examination."

"Medical examination? Is everything alright," asked Karui with a concerned tone.

"Yes, yes, I'm just pregnant," Emeri replied with a warm smile and a dismissive wave of her hands.

"You're…you're WHAT," Karui squeaked with excitement.

"Yes, I'm pregnant," Emeri repeated, grinning widely.

Karui screamed with excitement and hugged her friend tightly, offering words of congratulations.

"So Karui, who is this," Said Emeri, peering beyond her friend with a quizzical look on her face. She looked Chouji up and down as he observed the scene from a distance, softly smiling in the direction of Karui with a look that appeared to be a cross between amusement and admiration.

"Oh, yes. This is Chouji Akimichi, the Ambassador from Konohagakure" she said to Emeri. "Chouji, this is Emeri. She was my best friend growing up. She lived in the house next to me, and we attended the academy together."

"Oooh, so THIS is Chouji…" Emeri said with a smirk and a knowing look in Karui's direction.

Karui's eyes widened as she turned red. She then looked at Emeri with a look of annoyance. Chouji's eyebrow raised in question as he looked at Karui, who seemed to be trying very hard to avoid his eye contact. Emeri leaned in and whispered to Karui in a tone that was still semi-audible to Chouji, "so this is the guy you were telling us about that one night? The 'cute one' that-" and Karui punched her firmly in the arm and interrupted her with a hiss while blushing deeply. Emeri laughed loudly, and waved her hands at Karui in defeat.

Emeri outstretched her hand toward Chouji and said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Chouji. I've heard nothing but good things about you and the work you've done for our village alongside Karui." Chouji turned in her direction and smiled with a mildly confused look on his face, and shook her hand. "Yes, it is nice to meet you, too, Emeri. And, it's my pleasure, It's fulfilling work and I've enjoyed every minute of it," he said, chuckling and blushing slightly as he scratched the back of his head with the other hand.

"Man, he really is cute when he acts all bashful, Karui! Well, I need to run. I've got a few errands before I meet with my Captain later. I hope I see you both again soon!" said Emeri, winking at Karui before quickly walking the opposite direction. Karui stared in her direction with her mouth gaping open, face fully red. She looked like she wanted to run after her and punch her again. Chouji waved awkwardly in her direction, but was staring at Karui with wide eyes. She turned to look at him briefly, then quickly turned away, biting her bottom lip in embarrassment. Before he could say anything, she quickly turned around and continue down the path toward the river. Staring after her for just a second, totally at a loss of what to do, Chouji decided to run after her to catch up with her and eventually fell back into stride next to her.

There was a moment of silence before Chouji broke it with a silent chuckle and said, "Sooo…" and before he could finish his sentence, Karui interrupted him with a loud sigh, saying "Yeah, I have no idea what that was about…" all the while avoiding his eye contact and still blushing hard. He grinned to himself, and dropped the subject, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable. _But…did I hear that correctly? Karui thinks I'm…cute?_ Chouji thought to himself as his grin widened. _Perhaps I will bring this up again later…_

After having some time to recover, Karui cleared her throat to ease the tension and then asked "Last time I was in Konoha, Shikamaru mentioned that the Akimichi Clan had large training grounds within the compound. Is that correct?"

"Yes. It's mostly a rocky, barren area that doesn't have many trees or vegetation. But it is a large space," Chouji responded, curious about the sudden change of subject.

"Next time that I come to visit Konoha, can we train there? We could use an open space because I was thinking…uh…" She hesitated, looking away, then looking back with renewed confidence, "I was thinking that we could work on creating a move or two together. You heard the Raikage mention the other day that he wanted Konoha and Kumo to form a solid partnership, and one reason we are working together is to form a joint team between the two villages. We thankfully haven't encountered any combat yet, but I think it would be wise for us to learn some moves that we can synchronize together. Don't you agree?"

Chouji smiled at her warmly and said, "I do agree. I think that would be a great idea!"

"Great!" said Karui, returning the smile.

"But…you know…if you do that…you'll have to come to my house and likely meet my parents," said Chouji, peering at her from the corner of his eye, grinning slightly.

"I'm fully aware of that, Chouji," Karui said as she blushed, rolled her eyes and grinned. Chouji responded with a nervous chuckle.

They walked past a grocery store, which she pointed out to him as the best place to get beef because they "always have the best cuts." Chouji told her about his favorite place in Konoha to pick up beef, and she asked him to take her there when she visited Konoha next time.

During the rest of the walk, they continued to talk about incidental things. Karui told him things about the village, and he shared things about his village and their similarities and differences. She shared things about her personal history and friends, and introduced him to more of her friends as they passed by - much to his delight and embarrassment. He shared things about his family and friends as well, and even updated her on what was happening with certain relationships between their mutual friends. She giggled at Shikamaru and Temari's failing attempts to hide their relationship from people. "Do they not realize how obvious they are?" she said with a laugh. "I picked up on the fact that they were in a relationship the first time I met them. Remember? I asked you if they were together." He laughed as well and said "Yeah, I remember. And, no, they probably do not realize it. But, they're both too stubborn to admit that something is going on to people because it would mean that everyone was right all along - that something was going on between them. I think it would make them both feel like they were admitting defeat or something." They both laughed hard at this, leaning into each other for support.

When they reached the restaurant, she grabbed him and pulled him inside by the arm exclaiming "Oh! Here it is!"

He blushed profusely at this sudden contact from her.

She pulled menus from the rack by the door for each of them and said "Order whatever you want, it's my treat!"

He looked down at the menu, and read off different menu items in his head, trying to decide which thing sounded the best.

But nothing sounded particularly appetizing, and he really wasn't very hungry.

He found himself continuously getting distracted by her backside swaying back and forth as she leaned on the counter in front of him looking over her menu. He couldn't keep his eyes on the menu for more then a few seconds before they would pop back up and watch.

"See anything you like, Chouji?" _Boy, do I,_ he thought, inwardly snickering.

"Like I said, the BBQ is good," said Karui, still turned around.

The trance was broken as Chouji's face reddened and his eyes widened in panic. What was he doing, standing there watching her like some pervert. He needed to pick out his lunch, and he needed to do it fast. He shook his head slightly, trying to come back to reality and pick something on the menu. _But, I'm just not hungry…_ he thought, biting his bottom lip, looking hard at the menu but still picturing the swaying…

"Chouji," she said, turning in his direction, leaning on the counter and looking at him with one eyebrow raised. "Yo, earth to Chouji? Lunch? Anything look good?"

He laughed nervously as his face continued to redden. He looked up at her and said with a half smile "I-I don't want anything, really. I-I'm not hungry."

She looked at him doubtfully, and said "but it's lunch time. Are you sure you don't want anything?"

He nodded his head for emphasis and said "Yeah, I'm sure. The food looks great, but I'm just not hungry right now."

She gave him a smirk, then responded with a doubt-filled "Hm, alright, then. If you say so," and went up to the counter to order food.

Little did Chouji know, she ordered double of everything - enough food for two people.

The ding of the food bell sounded indicating that their food was ready, and Karui called Chouji over asking him for help with carrying the bags of food.

"Why are there so many bags of food?" asks Chouji, genuinely surprised.

"I like to eat a lot. Got a problem with that?" she said with mock anger.

His eyes widened in fear as he apologized repeatedly and said "NO! Not at all!"

However, as he did this she walked ahead of him with false anger present in her stride, leading the way to the spot by the river.

Following behind her, he found himself looking up and down at her figure and he thought, I _can't imagine that she's eats a lot all the time - she must have a high metabolism if she does...I can't tell where she's putting all of it! Her figure is..._ and suddenly she turned to look at him and asked if the spot by the river that she's chosen is okay and he says "...Perfect." with a satisfied tone, staring at the lower part of her body with a hazy look in his eyes. Realizing what he's said and done, his head snapped up and he looked her in the eyes lightning fast, fixing a friendly smile on his face, though he can feel a little heat rising to his cheeks. He follows up nervously with "U-um, yeah, it's perfect. Great spot." She smiled, seemingly oblivious, and they set up their food and used his jacket for a picnic blanket.

She opened the food, and started to eat. Trying to focus on the task at hand - the meeting they were scheduled to have and the items they needed to discuss - he tried desperately to forget about the embarrassing things he just did. He talked about chunnin exam preparations and working on setting up a proctor roster. She made comments as he spoke, and mentioned names or stopped to jot down a few notes on a notepad she pulled from her purse.

Suddenly, she pushed a container of pork BBQ into his hands. She smiled at him, and said, "Chouji, this is yours. Just try it, ok? I'll likely have some extra and I hate having food go to waste - help me eat this food, Chouji. Please?" She continued to push the container in his hands, smirking slightly, but batting her eyelashes and giving him mock puppy dog eyes.

He laughs, blushing at her words. "Well, if you put it that way...I'll help you out, I suppose." She grinned at him as he took the container from her. She reached over and opened the container for him, and steam released from the container and blew in the wind toward his direction. The smell reached his nostrils and he thought, _alright, that does smell delicious. I've got to have at least one bite of this._ He took a pair of chopsticks, and ate a bite.

His eyes widened in amazement, then closed in ecstasy.

She gave him a smirk that fully showed that she was aware of her victory, and asked him, "Well, what do you think?"

He turned to look at her with that same expression before recovering with a excited smile and saying "Oh, it's delicious! I think it's probably the best BBQ I've ever had!" She beamed at him.

Suddenly, a gust of wind came down the river side an attempted to blow away some of their empty containers and napkins. They both moved to grab the trash and in their scramble to grab a napkin just before it could fly away, they accidentally set hands on top of each other in the process.

They both looked up at one another with wide eyes and Chouji realized that this was the first time he had ever been this close to her face before. _She has speckles of dark brown in her eyes, and when she blushes her eyes seem to go from their usual light honey color to a dark amber color…wait…she's blushing! She is so cute when she blushes!  
_

Before he could do anything or say anything, she smiled, lowered her eyes, and pulled back from at him, and appeared to be looked everywhere but at him as she continued to clean up the mess.

The wind blew again, but softer this time, and he sees her turn her face toward it. He watched her hair blow back slightly, and watched pieces of it fly around her face lazily.

 _She's...so beautiful…_ he thought yet again as she moved to tuck the loose pieces of hair behind her ears. His brow furrowed slightly as he thought, _I wish I could've done that…_

She turned back to him and looked at him funny, and he realizes he was looking at her for longer than he should have and had his mouth open. So, he looked away, at the water, hardening his expression to a straight, blank face, but blushed slightly.

He didn't see her looking at him and giving him a small smile. She started to reach for his hand, and began to say "Hey, Chouji—" but was interrupted, and she abruptly pulled her hand away.

Chouji, who was still looking hard in the direction of the water, suddenly saw a shadow on the water and looked up. Interrupted by this, Karui followed his eyes and they both saw a hawk flying overhead, heading to the Raikage Tower. They both instantly recognized it as the hawk from the Shinobi Union, and knew that something important was happening.

Chouji glanced at her, and she raised her eyebrow at him. Without saying anything, they both moved to pack up their picnic and headed back to the Raikage Tower.


	6. Visit to the Raikage's Office

As they entered the hallway that lead to the Raikage's Office, Chouji slowed down to let Karui take the lead. Though, they dropped this practice shortly after meeting one another, it was custom for the Ambassador of a foreign village to fall behind or follow the guide of the village they were visiting. While the Ambassador was considered an honored guest, the shinobi of the resident village outranked the Ambassador at all times.

When they reached the Raikage's Office, she knocked on the door, noting the fresh glass on the floor. Someone had obviously dropped it while hurrying out of the Raikage's Office after he had smashed another window again. _What did Lord Bee do this time_ , thought Karui as she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, come in," said a quiet female voice with a tone of annoyance.

Karui opened the door to reveal the Raikage sitting at his desk staring at a scroll in deep concentration, and his assistant, Mabui, leaning over the table pointing at something on the scroll.

Mabui turned to Karui and Chouji, obviously annoyed with the interruption, but when she realized who they were she smiled in relief. "Ah, great. It's you two. You saved me the trouble of having to find you both."

"Come in and sit down, you two," said the Raikage without looking up, pointing in the direction of the two chairs near his desk.

Mabui turned back to the Raikage and continued to point to particular things on the scroll, muttering this and that about "policy" and "expenses" and "details." The Raikage would occasionally nod in understanding, or furrow his brow in negation to whatever she said, but never said a word, which was surprising. _Whatever is in that scroll is either really, really, good news or really, really bad news and the pot is beginning to boil_ , thought Karui, starting to tense with fear. She had no desire to be in the office any longer than necessary.

"Karui," said Mabui abruptly, which shocked Karui out of her thoughts. "Your ambassador duties are being put on hold temporarily for a mission." She turned to Chouji and said, "same with you, Lord Akimichi." Karui's eyes narrowed slightly in amusement. _Lord Akimichi…my foot. Yeah, right…_ she thought as she inwardly smirked.

"You will both serve on a mission for the Shinobi Union. Amegakure has been experiencing civil war due to unstable leadership. You'll work with a team of shinobi and the local Police Force to protect civilians and coordinate negotiations among the three clans fighting for leadership over the village. The Police Force is attempting to have all three clans form a joint leadership, but only two out of the three clans will agree to this. Negotiating with the third clan has proved to be difficult, so the Union's job will be to advise the Police Force on the best way to handle the negotiations and potentially serve as a proxy on their behalf when conditions are unsafe."

"'When conditions are unsafe,'" said Karui with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. The Police Force isn't made up of shinobi. It's made up of civilians. The third clan has proved to be too dangerous for them to handle partially because of their ninjutsu and partially because of the sheer number of individuals that fight for them."

Karui looked at Chouji wearily, who returned her look with a skeptical frown.

"You must both head to Konoha immediately. You will leave tomorrow to rendezvous in Konoha with the others on your team and to finalize your mission plan with your team leaders." Mabui handed each of them a sealed scroll with their mission details, and several other papers. "Your clearance papers have already been filled out and signed, Karui, so you are good to go. Chouji, you just need to get that document—" she reached with a manicured finger to touch a form he was holding, "stamped downstairs, then you are good to go. You're both dismissed."

Karui looked to the Raikage in question, who only nodded with a small smile and turned back to the scroll he had been studying the whole time.

As they walked out of the office and down the halfway, they both looked through the documents in their hands in silence. As they neared the elevator, Karui reached to press the button to call it and caught Chouji's eye. Chouji smiled at her, then laughed softly looking down at the ground. Karui peered past him, and noticed the sun beginning to set behind him.

And then it hit her. The day had sped by, but she didn't finish what she was going to say earlier. However, as she looked around and took in her surroundings she realized now was probably not the best time nor the place to discuss it.

She looked down at the ground, resolutely deciding not to look him in the eye when she asked this next question. "Hey…Chouji," she said, a little quieter than she had intended.

"Hmm," he said.

She hesitated. _What the hell is wrong with me? I have way more confidence than this, she thought. Get it together, Karui. Make your move._

She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration and looked up at him. She gave him a trademark Karui-smirk, and said in her lowest, most sexy voice, "want to have dinner at my place tonight, 'Lord Akimichi?'" Yeah, there we go. _Nailed it,_ she thought, inwardly high-fiving herself. She made sure to over-emphasize "Lord Akimichi" to tease him for Mabui's comment earlier.

He looked at her for a moment, completely still and eyes wide. _Did I break him_ , she thought, amused.

Then suddenly, he did something that surprised her. She had expected him to blush or get nervous and bashful. Instead, he smirked and seemed to look at her more directly in the eye, and he said in a surprisingly confident voice, "sure, Karui, that would be great. What time should I come over?"

Instantly taken aback, her eyes widen slightly before she recovered with, "7:30 is fine," in her normal, Karui voice, much to her displeasure. She bit the inside of her cheek again, but this time in annoyance.

He smiled normally at her, but held her eye contact while he lowered his eye lids slightly and said "Alright, 7:30, then." She stared into his eyes a moment longer and silently noted that his pupils seemed to be growing larger, which surprised her.

The elevator door opened, and Omoi stepped out, staring between the two who hadn't looked away from each other yet.

"Oi, you two, get a room already. The tension is so thick I'd probably have a hard time cutting through it," he said, chuckling and pointing between the two.

Karui turned to look at him and scowled. She reached and pulled him out of the elevator in anger and shouted "you have a hard time cutting through anything, you dullard. Now get the hell out of the way." She pulled Chouji in with her, who stumbled roughly against the back wall of the elevator. She quickly started pressing buttons and before Omoi could shout a retort for her earlier comment she shouted "piss off," as the doors closed.

When the elevator arrived at the floor Chouji was meant to get off on, Karui had cooled down slightly and looked at him with an exasperated smile. He grinned and said "see you tonight," before walking off the elevator. "See you," she replied, before the elevator closed rather abruptly.

She sighed and leaned back up against the wall of the elevator.

 _I've got a lot to do between now and then,_ she thought, mentally going through a checklist of all of the tasks. _What was she going to wear? What would she make for dinner? Dessert? She hoped that she liked her cooking. What would they do after dinner?_

And then suddenly it hit her, and her eyes widened with panic. "After dinner, what would we…Oh sh—" she started to talk out loud to herself, but the elevator door began to open.


	7. Dinner at Karui's

Chouji stood outside the small home and hesitated to ring the doorbell, too nervous to go through with whatever he feared would or would not happen tonight.

 _If Shikamaru were here, he would tell me to man up and just get this over with_ , he thought with a smile. O _r, he would tell me women are troublesome and to run away while I still had the chance_ , he thought, brow furrowing and frowning slightly. However, he was mildly convinced that the ladder was something the young, 13 year old Shikamaru would think. Older, more mature and more responsible Shikamaru would likely go with the first bit of advice, given his own experience with women…well…a woman.

He bit his lower lip, closed his eyes, and rang the doorbell. He heard loud rustling behind the door before the door opened quickly, revealing a very flushed Karui.

He beamed at her, and she beamed back, batting her eyelashes at him in a way that made him feel a little dizzy.

"Hi Chouji! Come in - and make yourself at home." He stepped inside, and she shut the door behind him and started to walk down a narrow hall toward what appeared to be the kitchen. "Dinner is just about ready. You can leave your shoes over by the door."

Chouji bent over to remove his shoes and exhaled rather loudly, not having realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time she spoke.

 _Come on, Chouji. Get it together, man. It's just dinner. Ignore the fact that she looked beautiful with her hair tied up in a bun like that with her high neck exposed…STOP IT. STOP_ , he thought, mentally punching himself in the gut.

He walked down the hall to the kitchen and saw her checking the temperature of a chicken with a meat thermometer. He looked around, noticing plate after plate of side dishes and delicious food. _I didn't know she could cook_ , he thought, mentally filing that knowledge away with a pleased smile. He also noticed how large the kitchen was compared to other rooms in the house that he had passed walking down the hallway. _I wonder if she enjoys cooking_ , he thought, preparing to ask her later and hoping the the answer would be yes.

"Yep, just about ready. Maybe another 5 minutes," she said, placing the chicken back in the oven and setting the timer to 5 minutes.

He moved to sit in one of the chairs at the kitchen table and as he sat down he felt an odd shaped object in is pocket. _Oh, right,_ he thought. He stood to remove a small white box from his pocket and walked over toward her.

"Oh, Karui. I got this for you. As a thanks for making dinner, and also for escorting me around to places for the last 7, going on 8 months. I really appreciate it," said Chouji, as he softly smiled at her and handed her the small white box.

She looked at it with a confused look, but then smiled at him with a slightly furrowed brow and said "oh, Chouji, you didn't have to get me anything. It's my job and my pleasure andOH MY GOODNESS ARE THESE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATES," she said, eyes widening so much Chouji was seriously worried they might pop out of her skull.

"Um, yes," he said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I remembered you saying they were your favorite on the first day that we walked around shopping so…I thought…they would be…you know we are about to have dinner in a few minutes, right," he said, finishing with a soft chuckle as she began eating two or three of the chocolates with a look of pure pleasure on her face.

She looked at him with narrow eyes and said "I know. But they're soooo good. SO GOOD. I can't resist them. They're better than sex." She popped another in her mouth and hummed in appreciation as her eyes closed slightly. Chouji stared at her uncomfortably and wondered, _wait, has she-_

Suddenly, ding of the timer goes off and she placed the box of chocolates down reluctantly, turning away to take the chicken out of the oven. Chouji moved quickly to push the chocolates out of the way and onto a side table out of sight while she was distracted, glaring at the chocolates with narrow eyes.

She placed the chicken on the counter and moved to cut it. He watched her, acutely amazed at how fast she moved to complete her task.

"So, Karui, do you enjoy cooking," he asked, silently begging that the answer be an excited yes.

"Sure," she said with a shrug. _I'll settle for that_ , he thought, inwardly half-smiling.

"My mother cooked a lot when I was a child and taught me everything I know. She was determined to make sure I didn't go hungry and that I could be self-sufficient as I grew older."

"I haven't met your family yet, do they—"

"They passed away years ago. During a mission. Shortly after I started school, actually," she said, not looking up at him.

"Oh, I'm very sorry," he said, with genuine sympathy laced in his voice.

"It's alright. I have memories of them, and they did many things to ensure that I would be taken care of growing up in case something like that happened, so life wasn't so terrible. I have been luckier than most," she said as a sad, small smile gracing her lips. "But enough about all that. Dinner is ready. Let's eat," she said, excited grabbing his arm to pull him up and push him toward the food. "The guest always starts first with filling their plate. I'm coming up behind you."

Chouji looked at the food apprehensively, realizing that, yet again, he just wasn't hungry. _What's wrong with me, he thought, it's dinner time. And the food looks amazing._ Suddenly, he felt her knock her hip playfully up against his hip as she said, "Come ooon, Chouji, quit holding up the food line," with mock irritation in her voice and a smirk. He blushed as he began to pick up various portions of food. Less than he would have normally eaten but enough to not seem rude. He walked around the counter and took his food to the table.

She was peering around him, looking closely at how much he was putting on his plate and the tension that was present in his eyes as he smiled down at the food before him. _What's the matter with him_ , she thought. _Is there something wrong with the food? Oh no, did I make something he didn't like? I tried to make food I remembered reading in cookbooks I bought from Konoha…what if he doesn't like this stuff? What if I made the food too spicy? What if I made the food too bland?_ She felt sweat beginning to form on the back of her neck. _What if he thinks I've cooked too much? What if I haven't cooked enough? What if—_ and she suddenly stopped, eyes widening slightly in horror as she realized something. _Damnit, I'm acting like Omoi. This is so uncool. GET IT TOGETHER, KARUI._ She bit the inside of her cheek in annoyance.

As he was walking back to the table, she grabbed her food quickly and went to set her plate on the table at the spot opposite of him. Before she sat down she went to the fridge and pulled out two beers, and handed one to him before sitting down.

"Alright. So, tell me how amazing my cooking is," she said with a smirk, motioning for him to start eating.

He chuckled softly and took a bite of one of the side dishes, and instantly froze.

 _Oh, no,_ she thought, eyes widening in panic.

 _Oh, wow,_ he thought, pleased smile forming across his face as he continued to chew his food. _Its…_

He looked up and saw the panicked look on her face, and he put his chop sticks down. He reached to grab her hand that was sitting on the table balling up into a tight fist, pulled it closer to himself across the table and said "Karui, that was absolutely delicious."

She looked at him with wide eyes, then beamed at him excitedly and said, "oh, Chouji! I'm glad you liked it! Try some of the other dishes, please!"

"But, I just have one question," he said, still holding her hand but beginning to pick up another side dish with his chop sticks. "These are all dishes from my village. Surely your mother didn't teach you how to make these?" He peered up at her from his plate, placing the food in his mouth but giving her a knowing look.

She blushed at this and said, "well, no, she didn't. These were recipes from a cook book I got in Konoha the last time I came to visit. I bought it hoping to learn a few recipes for…well…something like this."

His eyes began to narrow ever so slightly as he said with a smirk, "Karui, the last time you visited Konoha was a little over 4 months ago."

Her face reddened more in realization as she gave him a small shrug.

Chouji chuckled, blushing slightly himself as he replied with, "well, you've certainly mastered these recipes. The food is excellent."

Karui giggled, waving her hand in appreciation saying, "thank you, Chouji. I'm just glad you like the food."

"Like it? I love it. The flavors, the textures…everything is cooked to perfection. You nailed all of it," he said, grinning at her.

"Well, be sure to go back for seconds - there's plenty left," said Karui, giving him a warm smile.

He looked down at his plate, already feeling the tightness in his stomach indicating that he's full when he responded with, "Ah, well, I'm a bit stuffed, but—"

"Oh, come now, Chouji, I insist," said Karui. Suddenly, she leaned across the table and whispered to him slyly, "besides, I prefer bigger, taller, muscular guys as opposed to skinny, wimpy guys anyway because," she leaned close to his ear and whispered breathily, "I'm a lot to handle."

As she pulled back, she smirked at him and moved to get up and fill her own plate with more food. Chouji remained frozen in place, eyes wide, mouth gaping open, blushing madly.


	8. Dinner at Karui's, continued...

As the evening progressed, liked most dinners between shinobi who fought and survived after the war, casual conversation about everyday life turned to war stories and trips down memory lane to "the times before the war."

"There were over 300 of them, if I remember correctly. Omoi and I were totally cornered. Omoi was concerned about his chakra reserves, so I had to fight all of the White Zetsu by myself. The bastards never saw it coming. I tore right threw them and cut every last one of them down with 4 swings of my sword," said Karui, swinging her arms to demonstrate the motions with a grin on her face.

"I bet you were amazing," said Chouji, smiling.

"Not as amazing as you, Chouji. I heard about your expansion jutsu taking out thousands of White Zetsu with the swing of your arm, and your Ino-Shika-Cho combo attack on the Geto Statue. I also heard about your fight with your sensei," said Karui, looking at him sympathetically.

Chouji frowned slightly, and looked away out the large windows. Karui's dining room area had a row of windows that overlooked the city below. Her apartment was not far from the Raikage's Office, so you could see much of the city from her apartment. Lights lit up the village streets but most of the lights in homes and storefronts were out. _It's getting late_ , thought Chouji.

"I shouldn't keep you much longer. We've got an early start tomorrow," said Chouji, turning back toward her with a half smile on his face. She was still looking at him, head tilted to the side quizzically and eyes slightly squinted as if she was trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject," said Karui, frowning slightly.

"No, it's alright. I don't mind talking about Asuma-sensei or that fight. Asuma and that fight helped shape me into the man I am today, and helped me find my confidence. There are many days that I am glad that I went through what I went through," he said, smiling at her with his eyes closed happily.

He looked away out the window again, expression more serious and said, "but I won't lie and say that the memory and that my thoughts of Asuma-sensei are always completely happy. I miss Asuma-sensei every day. When I visit Kurenai-sensei and hold Mirai in my arms, I am reminded that she will never meet him, and that Asuma-sensei will never see her grow up. Shikamaru, Ino and I have a responsibility to see that she grows up happy, healthy, and that she lives a full and long life - we owe that to Asuma-sensei for all of the things he did for us. That responsibility frightened me for a long time - especially the first time I held Mirai when she was a baby and I realized just how small and fragile she really was, and how much protecting she really needed."

Chouji closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, and turned to look at Karui, who was staring at him with a concerned expression on her face.

"But over time, the fear subsided. I think three major things changed my perspective.  
Shikamaru showed all of us that we were the next generation that would inherit the…well, the whole world, really, after Asuma-sensei's generation. We needed to grow up and take responsibility for ourselves, for the conflicts that come our way and for the next generation after us.  
The war showed me that I could handle that level of responsibility, and that it was my destiny. I embraced it and have continued to embrace it fully.  
And the third thing was Mirai herself. Watching her grow up. Seeing her fall down, pick herself up and move on without a care in the world reminded me that she was Asuma-sensei's and Kurenai-sensei's daughter and that she is stronger than I originally thought." He chuckled.

He reached for his beer and took a large gulp before he said, "but, really, Karui. It is getting late. I should really head back to my—"

Suddenly, Karui leaned over the table and kissed him, much to his surprise. She touched his cheek softly, and her eyes were closed.  
His eyes were wide in shock, and before he could do anything, she pulled away quickly, not looking at him, face red.

There was a moment when neither of them said anything. Chouji continued to stare at her, dumbfounded, mouth hanging open slightly. She continued to look away, face red as she bite her lower lip.

"You're…you're right, Chouji. It is getting late. And we do have an early start tomorrow. Come on, I'll show you to the door," said Karui, rising from her seat with an unusual amount of grace and still avoiding his eye contact.

As if the trance was broken by her words, Chouji's mouth shut abruptly and he frowned slightly, suddenly feeling like he did something really wrong, but he couldn't think straight enough to figure out what it was. He rose from his seat, and turned to follow behind her as they walked down the narrow hallway toward the front door.

Karui waited for him to put on his sandals, then opened the door for him, still looking anywhere but at him.

Chouji furrowed his brow in frustration. _This…this isn't right. This isn't the way this was supposed to happen. Why is she acting this way? What did I do…What should I do…I have to fix this_ , he thought.

Chouji moved to the frame of the door, then turned around to face Karui, who was looking down at their feet. And then it hit him.

He reached a hand under her chin, and lifted her head so that she looked up at him. There was pain in her eyes, he noticed.

He leaned down, closed his eyes, and planted a kiss on her lips.

As he pulled away, he opened his eyes to look at her. Her eyes were still closed. He smiled at this.

He turned to walk off down the path toward his apartment and said, "Goodnight, Karui," with a wave over his shoulder.

He heard her mumble something that sounded like "Goodnight." He chuckled to himself as he continued walking down the path.


	9. DVDs

TenTen was looking at herself in the mirror and adjusting the braids that sat on either side of her head when a knock sounded on the door to her apartment.

She went to the door, and opened it to reveal a smiling Rock Lee.

She smiled back at him, and invited him inside. "Hi, Lee. I've got one more thing I need to do before we leave. Just give me a moment. You know where the living room is, and the kitchen of your thirsty - make yourself at home," she said as she walked back toward her room in a hurry.

His eyes trailed after her before he turned to close the door to her apartment. He walked into her living room, and sat on one of the soft chairs facing the tv. As he reached for the remote sitting on the coffee table in front of him, he noticed something under the tv on there stand shelf that he hadn't noticed before. She must have added these recently, he thought, as he moved to squat down in front of the tv to get a closer look.

There were several photographs of their team, Neji, TenTen and Neji together, and only one of himself and TenTen together, which sat close to the front.

There was a photo of the three of them together as genin. TenTen was in the middle with her fists in the air screaming in excitement at having achieved something great. Lee was to the left, and had one fist in the air with a determined look on his face. And Neji was on the right, looking supremely irritated for being forced to stand next to them to take that photo as Guy stood behind them all with his hands on Lee and Neji's shoulders, smiling proudly.

There was a photo of Neji dressed as a school girl, looking at the camera innocently. Lee snickered at that one.

There was a photo of TenTen and Neji resting on a tree branch, talking. TenTen was laying on her back with her hands behind her head, peering up at him skeptically and Neji was laying against the trunk, eyes closed but apparently laughing. Lee remembered taking that photo - it was after practice one day, and TenTen had just sparred. TenTen felt pretty confident that she had Neji cornered with a particular move, but he claimed to have seen right through it, even though her shot landed seamlessly.

There was a photo of Neji when he became a Jounin, and there was a small smile on his face as Lee shook his hand and TenTen had an arm wrapped around his neck and was beaming at him proudly.

There were many others. But Lee frown and thought, _she only has one photo of me, but so many of herself and Neji together, and of Neji._

But before he could continue with that thought, TenTen came around the corner and said she was ready. She noticed that he was looking at those photos, and half smiled at him. "I see you found my memorial to Neji. I was going through old photos the other day and decided to put those out since the anniversary of his death was coming up. I'm planning to leave them out so I can remember him and our time as a team a little bit each day."

Lee nodded in understanding, and said "yes, I was admiring them. There were some that really brought back funny memories. Like Neji dressed as a girl." He covered his mouth as he began to snicker again.

TenTen rolled her eyes at him, but was smiling. "Yeah, but if I remember correctly, he only did that because you made him. And I seem to remember you dressing up like a girl plenty of times, too, Lee."

Lee cleared his throat as he blushed slightly, remembering their exploits. "Yes, well, I don't see any of that in photographs. At least I have that over Neji."

TenTen smirked at him, but shook her head and said, "I don't know about that, Lee. I may not have tons of photos, but I do have—" she opened the entertainment center next to the tv and revealed a collection of DVDs — "proof on video."

Lee gaped at her in shock. "How…How did you…"

"It's not about the how, Lee. It's that I have them," she said as she grinned at him deviously.

"But seriously, Lee, we should go. I've already made us a little late for our lunch reservation."

Lee continued to stare worriedly at the at the DVDs and nodded in affirmation as he followed her out of her apartment, wondering, _now, how can I remove those DVDs from her apartment without her knowing…_


	10. Sunflowers

During the walk, Lee tried several times to convince TenTen to give him those DVDs. He begged, he demanded, and he even attempted to threaten but stopped quickly as they enter the Yamanaka Flower Shop. They went in to purchase flowers for Neji's grave site, which they planned to visit after lunch.

Behind the counter sat Ino and Sai. Ino was sitting on a stool wearing a crown of purple flowers in her hair. She was blushing and giggling madly as Sai sat in a stool next to her and drew a portrait of her, occasionally reaching over to shift a piece of hair out of her face or fix a flower just right.

They whispered things back and forth, and occasionally burst into loud laughter at something one or the other said.

 _It seems like everyone has someone_ , thought TenTen as she watched Sai lean in and whisper something in Ino's ear, who immediately giggled. _I wish that I had someone like that._ TenTen peered sideways at Lee, who was looking at a selection of floral arrangements with a frustrated look on his face. _But at this point, I think I never will_ , she thought, looking down in disappointment.

 _I wish I could get a girlfriend like Ino as easily as Sai did. I wonder what his secret is…maybe I should ask him,_ thought Lee, trying not to look at Sai or Ino. They were making him feel very uncomfortable. He looked around at the many arrangements of flowers and thought, _maybe Sai was able to win Ino over because he could pick out an arrangement she liked. I certainly have no idea how to pick one out._

He glance at TenTen as she looked at a particular arrangement, and smelled the flowers with a pleased smile on her face. He continued to watch her and thought, _I wonder what sort of flowers TenTen likes…_

He watched her softly touch the petals of a daisy, and move toward a wall covered in sunflowers. He heard her sigh quietly, and watched her nod her head resolutely as she reached for a small arrangement of sunflowers. She turned toward him, surprised to find him watching her.

His eyes widened in embarrassment and he bit his lip, not quite sure what to say. He looked side to side as if he were trying to find the answer.

"Um, TenTen. Did you…did you find an arrangement that you think he would like," he said, not looking at her.

She walked over to him and said "yes. He always liked sunflowers. Or so Hinata says." She smiled up at him "We should go pay for these and hurry on to the restaurant. I'm starving."

Without waiting for a response, she walked passed him and on to the counter. He followed, but continued to feel a little embarrassed.

"Hi, Ino," said TenTen, setting the arrangement on the counter.

As if broken out of a trance, Ino turned toward her newest customer and screeched in excitement when she recognized the two of them. _Took you long enough to notice u_ s, thought TenTen bitterly.

Ino walked around the counter and hugged TenTen. "How have you been? It's been a little while since I've seen you both. You were both on a mission for, what was it," said Ino, questioningly.

"Six weeks," said Lee, smiling at her.

"Over a month. How are things? How was the mission," said Ino, smiling excited at the both of them.

TenTen looked at Lee, who nodded. "Oh, things are fine. We're fine. The mission went well with very little hang-ups. It was a recovery mission for a lost mother and daughter. They're back home and safe now."

"Good, good," said Ino, smile softening. "You stopped by the Shop at a good time, by the way. I was just about to close in a few minutes. Sai and I just received a summons from the Hokage about a mission ourselves," she said, nodding toward Sai.

"Shizune said there will be other elite jonin who will be part of this mission. I wonder if you two will be included, " said Sai, looking at the two of them with a blank face.

"Oh! That would be exciting! We haven't been on a mission together in a long time, TenTen," said Ino, grinning at TenTen, who just chuckled.

"Well, even if we don't get put on the mission…perhaps we could do something as a full group before you leave? I heard Shikamaru and Chouji were coming back into town in the next day or so. And Hinata, Shino and Kiba returned with us," said TenTen.

"That would be great. Maybe go out to dinner…BBQ or something," said Ino, grinning excitedly.

TenTen looked at Lee, who smiled. "We are looking forward to it. But, um, not to be rude, but we are running a little late for our lunch reservation. We should probably pay for these and head to the restaurant," said TenTen, smiling sheepishly.

"Ah, sure, no problem. Just let me wrap these for you and I'll get you checked out," said Ino, dashing back around the counter.

"Here, Ino, I'll wrap them. You go ahead and check them out. We should probably get going as well," said Sai, lifting off of his stool and grabbing the arrangement.

Ino smiled at him appreciatively, and began ringing up the order.

Lee took this opportunity to look at TenTen again, who was watching them with a strange expression.

 _They seem so perfect for each other_ , TenTen thought.

"So, Lee, are you getting these for TenTen," asked Ino abruptly as she winked in his direction. He immediately turned away from TenTen and blushed as he waved his hands in dismissal.

"What? Oh! Um, no, no! This is for Neji! For his grave site."

"Oh, I see," said Ino, looking mildly disappointed. She peered over at Sai, who shrugged slightly.

TenTen furrowed her brow in annoyance at Ino and said "yeah, today is the anniversary of his death. We are visiting his grave site and paying our respects."

Ino and Sai paused, bowed their heads and said, "He is honored," in unison before continuing their tasks. Ino said, "yes, Shikamaru, Chouji and I will likely go to visit Uncle Shikaku and my father's grave sites once they return to town."

"They are honored," said TenTen and Lee, bowing their heads.

"Alright, so who's paying," asked Ino, grinning and looking back and forth between the two.

"I've got it," said TenTen, pulling out her wallet from her purse.

"No, TenTen, I insist, I will pay for this," said Lee, pulling out his wallet.

"No, Lee. The flowers were my idea. I'll get them," said TenTen, turning toward him, placing her hand on his hand that was holding his wallet.

"But this is something that we are doing together, to honor him, and you came up with the great idea and picked out this beautiful arrangement. The least I could do is pay for it," said Lee, turning toward her as well, smiling down at her appreciatively.

"Uh, you guys…" Ino started, but was interrupted.

"Lee, just let me pay for the flowers. We don't have time to argue. It was my idea, as you said. Let me take responsibility for the price," said TenTen, brow furrowing in irritation. She moved closer to him, attempting to push his hand away from the counter.

"But, TenTen, I really do insist that you let me pay for them. I want to contribute to this part of our remembrance to Neji. At least let me do this one thing," said Lee, pulling his hand away so that he could get to his wallet and inadvertently pulling her closer toward himself.

She didn't seem to notice though, and continued, "One thing? Lee, don't be silly. They're just flowers. Just let me—"

Ino cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the two who turned to look at her with eyes wide.

"Why don't you just split the cost," said Ino, looking at them annoyed.

"Well I—" started Lee. "But—" started TenTen. But they both hesitated, and looked at each other.

They smiled, and nodded in agreement. They paid their money, TenTen picked up the arrangement and they both waved goodbye to their friends before they walked out the door.

"What a bunch of lovesick morons, those two," mumbled Ino as she rolled her eyes.


	11. You're an idiot, Naruto

After leaving the restaurant, Lee and TenTen turned to head toward the cemetery.

On their way there, they spot Naruto and Sakura, who were arguing loudly.

"Nar-ru-tooo," Sakura growled, glaring at him dangerously, "You know better than to encourage him. You're supposed to be the future leader of Konoha. Teaching Konohamaru to be a pervert just like you isn't very becoming of a leader of Konoha."

"Yeah, yeah…" said Naruto, rubbing the back of his head and scrunching up in face in annoyance. "I was just enjoying myself, for once."

"What the heck is that supposed to—"

"Hey, Sakura, Naruto," yelled Rock Lee, waving at them.

Relieved to be free of Sakura's scolding, Naruto waved back excitedly, exclaiming, "Bushy-Brow! TenTen! How's it goin'?!" And hurriedly walked over to them, leaving Sakura behind to watch him with an annoyed look on her face.

She soon followed after him, and smiled at Lee and TenTen, grabbing TenTen's hand and asking her more directly how she's been. TenTen nodded and smiled appreciatively.

"So, what are…you two…up to…" said Naruto, peering back and forth between the two, deviously, and peering down at the flowers in TenTen's hands.

Totally oblivious, Lee said, "We just came back from lunch and now we are heading over to the cemetery to visit Neji."

Naruto's face straightened, and he said very seriously, "Yes, today is the anniversary of his death. Hinata and I went by to see him earlier this morning."

TenTen and Sakura looked at one another benevolently, then Sakura said, "So, are those flowers for him, then?"

"Yes, Hinata said his favorite flowers were sunflowers," said TenTen, smiling sadly, looking down at the arrangement in her hands.

"TenTen picked out that arrangement. I think Neji will like it very much - it's very beautiful," said Lee with a crinkled smile in her direction.

Sakura considered him for a moment, smiling, and said, "yes, it's very beautiful."

"So…um…Sakura," said Lee, trying to ease the tension. "How is Sasuke?"

Sakura immediately blushes, and Naruto rolls his eyes slightly, but smiles in her direction. "Oh, he's Sasuke, you know. Last time he wrote me, he was somewhere over in Kusa, in a small village helping them rebuild homes."

"Really? I never pegged him as the kind of guy who would do something like that," said TenTen, smirking.

"He has changed," said Sakura, looking off toward Naruto for confirmation, who nodded firmly.

"Did he say anything about what he plans to do next," asked Lee.

"Well, he…"

As Sakura continued, TenTen peered over at Lee from the corner of her eye. She watched the way he looked at Sakura, nodding politely and occasionally commenting.

I wonder if he still loves her, she thought.

In the middle of her talk about Sasuke's advertures, Sakura noticed TenTen's eyes start to wander toward Lee. He doesn't notice it, but Sakura did. She saw the way that TenTen looked at him, and couldn't help but smile inwardly as she thought, Ino was right, they do like each other…

"Well, Naruto, Sakura, it was a pleasure talking with you both. Sakura, when you write Sasuke again, tell him I said hello. TenTen, shall we proceed on," said Lee, smiling down at her softly.

"Sure, Lee. Naruto, Sakura, see you around," said TenTen, waving goodbye.

As they walk off, Sakura turns slightly to look in their direction, and sees Lee look at TenTen with that soft smile again. Sakura chuckled, causing Naruto to ask her what was funny.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that those two ought to get together. They would make a cute couple," said Sakura, smiling contently.

Naruto snorted with laughter. "That's pretty much obvious to everyone, Sakura. I thought you might be laughing because you were thinking about what their kids might look like."

Sakura's eyes widened, then she bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. "Oh, shut up, Naruto, that's not funny," she said, looking at him with half-hearted annoyance.

"You know it is, Sakura. But what I don't get," said Naruto, face screwing up in frustration, "is why would a girl like TenTen fall for an idiot like him? I mean, she could probably have any guy she wanted. She's pretty…strong…she seems to do well financially…"

"I think, in TenTen's case, she's attracted to Lee because he's always motivated her to be her best self. To always strive to do better, become stronger, and persevere. And they share a deep bond because they both have made doing so their mantra," said Sakura, smirking at him. "That sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?"

Naruto stared at her with a confused look. "Huh," he said, eyebrow raising. "Sakura, what the heck are you talkin' about?"

"You're an idiot, Naruto," said Sakura, sighing with exhaustion.


	12. Life goes on...

TenTen and Lee climbed the stone steps of the entrance to the cemetery silently, bowing their heads slightly.

There were many people in the cemetery today. Many people recognized them, and bowed deeply to them or bowed and whispered "thank you, great heroes."

Others were huddled together over grave sites, mourning their lost loved ones as families. When TenTen and Lee walked passed them, they could hear silent sobbing.

But overall, there was a calm silence in the cemetery. No one spoke above a whisper, and many people seemed to keep to themselves.

They walked toward a section near the front, where many of the Hyuuga clan were buried. Neji was honored with a spot in the main family's selection, and was buried next to his father.

When they arrived at his tombstone, they both paused to look down at it sadly. They said nothing, and didn't move for a moment.

TenTen exhaled softly, not realizing she had been holding her breath, and squatted down in front of his tombstone to place the flowers in front of it. There were already many bundles of flowers, small gifts, notes, food, and other sentiments by his tombstone. The appearance of it all tugged at her heartstrings.

She touched the tombstone, closed her eyes and bowed her head. She remembered one of the last conversations they had together.

* * *

He was pulling on his flak jacket, having just woken up from sleeping on her couch overnight. "TenTen, I'm leaving. I need to go meet with Lady Hinata and the others before we head to the field. And you need to go wake Lee and meet with Gai."

She was munching on a piece of toast when she walked out of the kitchen and said, "Oh, is it time already?"

"Yes, I overslept. Why didn't you wake me," he said, looking at her annoyed.

"I was about to, Neji. But you and the other guys stayed out too late last night night drinking and I figured you should get as many extra minutes of sleep as you could get," she said, winking at him.

He sighed, shaking his head. "You still should have woken me up."

She handed him a piece of toast, and he nodded his head slightly in appreciation. He stuck it in his mouth, and moved to start putting on his sandals.

She watched him, deep in thought, then she said, "Hey, Neji…"

"Hmnn," he said, voice muffled by toast.

"Do you…do you think we will make it through this war? We lack the experience, and the proper training. Everyone keeps saying we are too green to be fighting. And maybe they are right. Maybe we—"

He reached to grab her hand, and gave her a stern look.

"TenTen. You are a strong kunoichi, and one of the strongest entering the field. Sure, we do not have war experience, but that doesn't mean we haven't seen our fair share of action, or death, or destruction. We are prepared for this. And because of that, I'd say the percentage likelihood of us dying drops significantly, wouldn't you?"

She smiled at him slightly, and nodded.

"You are strong, you are smart, and you are capable of handling anything, TenTen. You will be fine," he said, releasing her and turning back to his sandals. He finished, and walked toward the door. He opened it, and just before he walked out, he said, "now, Lee on the other hand…" And they both laughed.

* * *

A single tear slid from the corner of her eye and down her face, and fell onto the tombstone.

Lee watched her, and watched the tear fall down. He let out a shuddering sigh. He bowed his head, and closed his eyes.

 _Neji_ , he thought, _you and I were always rivals. You were constantly beating me at everything we competed in. But, you made me stronger. And you were my best friend. And I just hope I make you proud going forward in life and…_ He peered at TenTen, then closed his eyes again and thought, _I will honor my promise to you and protect TenTen with my life, will be there for her when she needs me and I will always be by her side…_

* * *

They left the cemetery, and decided to walk to the old training grounds where their team used to practice.

When they arrived, TenTen jumped to sit on top of one of the logs used for target practice. Lee sat on the ground below her, and leaned his head against the log, closing his eyes.

She looked down at him, and smiled a little.

"Hey…Lee," she said softly.

He opened his eyes, and looked up at her.

"Do you remember that time when we were assigned on a mission to run Ichikaku Ramen for a day while the owners went on vacation?"

He smiled slightly, and said, "yes, Guy-sensei said it would be a lesson on teamwork."

TenTen chuckled. "Yeah, but you and Neji didn't do very well during the start of the lesson, now, did you?"

Lee looked down, brow furrowing slightly.

"I remember when we got to the stand…" TenTen started.

* * *

Lee, Neji and TenTen arrived at Ichiraku Ramen promptly at 5:00am.

"Who the heck is going to eat ramen this early," said TenTen, yawning. She leaned on Neji for support as she wasn't quite awake yet.

"Oh, come now, TenTen, ramen can warm the belly and fill you up for the long day ahead just as easily as a bowl of fresh oatmeal. Or cereal," said Lee, looking at her excitedly.

Neji looked at Lee annoyed and said, "how anyone could eat this sodium backed filth so early in the morning is beyond me. And to compare it to oatmeal? Cereal? I mean, really, Lee."

They walked into the stand and TenTen reached for the list of instructions left by the owner and his daughter. She scanned it, and then turned to her teammates and said, "so, it looks like someone needs to take orders and run the register, and two people need to cook and make food runs as needed."

She turned to place the note back on the counter, and started to say, "so I'll cook, and Neji, you can—" but she paused when she turned and saw him.

He was fully dressed in a chef's outfit, standing behind the noodle cooker, waiting to begin. He looked at her confused.

"What do you mean? I'll do the cooking, TenTen. You take the orders," he said, confidently.

"But why," she said, looking at him up and down with a raised eyebrow.

"We Hyuugas are known for our culinary artistry. I really should do this," he said with a tone of finality.

She was about to argue when Lee suddenly walking on front of her. He looked Neji up and down in an exaggerated fashion, taking in everything from his outfit to the confident look in his eye. Then he backed up slightly, pointed hard at Neji and said, "Neji, I accept your challenge. I will show you that you do not have to be a great artist to cook a wonderful bowl of ramen that would please any customer."

Neji looked at him bewildered. "That's…what…Lee, what are you talking about?"

"Do you accept my challenge, Neji?"

"Accept? What's there to accept? Thats an unwinnable challenge!"

"Oooh, are you chickening out, Neji? Afraid of losing?"

"No, Lee, you idiot! I'm saying that it would be impossible for you to beat me!"

The two of them glared at one another for a moment, and TenTen watched them with exasperated annoyance. "Come on, you g—" she started.

"You know what. Fine, Lee. I accept your challenge," said Neji, grinning deviously.

"Good, may the best man win," said Lee, turning his heel to move in front of the cooker.

A little while later, the store opened and customers filed in and started placing orders. "I need one miso ramen with pork," shouted TenTen.

Now is my chance, thought Lee. "Coming up," he shouted in reply. He filled the order, and handed it to the customer, who looked down at it quizzically. The ramen was disorganized. Nothing was cut evenly, an everything seemed to be thrown together into the bowl haphazardly.

"Um, what is this," the customer says with a slight tone of disgust.

"Miso ramen with pork, of course. But I added my own twist to it to make it into my own masterpiece," said Lee, smiling happily. "I hope you enjoy!" He walked back to the kitchen.

The customer stared down at it wearily, but grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took a bite. Suddenly, his mouth felt like it was on fire, and he jumped out of his chair and ran around, trying to get the hot stuff off of his tongue, shocking everyone around him. He knocked over several displays, and caused several people to spill ramen on themselves or on their tables. He ran off down the street, screaming bloody murder.

They fill more orders for customers, and TenTen received complaints from customers saying their food isn't up to par with Ichiraku standards and that they want their money back. She gets yelled at, she argues with customers, and she witnesses more cursing from burnt tongues than she thinks she needs to see for the rest of her life.

At the end of the day, Naruto comes by to order ramen. "Where's the old man and his daughter," he asks TenTen.

"On vacation. So what do you want, Naruto," she says, sounding exhausted.

He placed his order and she tells Neji, who nods and starts to prepare the order.

Neji brought the bowl to the table, and stood looking at Naruto waiting patiently.

Naruto looked down at the bowl, and gasped. Every noodle was placed evenly in the bowl, every piece of meat was lined up evenly, and everything was chopped totally evenly. He felt like he was looking at something out of a photograph.

"N-N-Neji…"

"I hope you enjoy it," said Neji, stoically, as he bowed slightly.

"But…but Neji…I can't eat this," said Naruto, looking at down at the ramen like it's his first born child.

"What? What do you mean," said Neji, eyebrow raised.

"I mean, it's absolutely…it's…"

"It's what," said Neji, getting annoyed.

"It's beautiful. It belongs in a museum or something. It's like a work of art or whatever."

"Naruto. It's just food," said TenTen, letting out a long suffering sigh.

"Yeah, but…"

"Just eat your damn ramen," she shouted, pounding a fist on the counter angrily.

He hurriedly picks up a pair of chopsticks and takes a bite, and pauses.

He takes another bite, and then pauses. Then he sets his chopsticks down.

"Well," asks Neji, smiling at him confidently. "It's good, right?"

"Uh, well…" Naruto starts, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well…what," said Neji.

"It's um…"

"Just spit it out, Naruto," said TenTen.

"It just tastes like water. There's like, zero flavor, ya know," said Naruto, smiling sheepishly at both Neji and TenTen.

Neji's face pales. He looks at Naruto with a completely blank face for a moment. TenTen looks at Neji nervously, sensing the anger boiling up inside of him.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN "IT HAS ZERO FLAVOR!" YOUR FLAVOR PALETTE IS ABOUT AS NARROW AS A SENBON NEEDLE YOU COMPLETE IDIOT," yells Neji angrily, jumping over the counter and placing his hands around Naruto's throat.

"I'm—" Naruto coughs, trying to breath between Neji strangling and shaking him. "I'm sorry, Neji. I was…just…trying…to be…honest…"

Suddenly, Lee jumps out and pulls Neji off of Naruto. TenTen sighs in relief.

"Neji, my friend! Do not do this! It is not his fault," said Lee. "You are right, he doesn't have a wide flavor palette. But not everyone does. He still appreciates your art. Your ramen is beautiful - and certainly more beautiful than mine!"

Everyone looked at Lee completely dumbfounded. TenTen smiled slightly at him, recognizing what he was attempting to do.

"Neji," Lee said, reaching a hand out toward his friend, "Let us combine our two strengths, and perhaps we will make a truly exceptional bowl of ramen!"

Neji looked at him skeptically for a moment, but eventually ducked his head and laughed softly. "Alright, Lee. Let's try it your way," said Neji, as he shakes Lee's hand firmly.

The two go back into the kitchen and work together to create a new bowl of ramen for Naruto, who was helped up and apologized to by TenTen.

Soon, Neji and Lee finished the ramen, and brought it out for Naruto to eat.

He looked down at the bowl apprehensively, and looked up at Neji with fear in his eyes.

"Naruto, it is ok. You have nothing to fear. We have worked together as a team to create a simply splendid bowl a ramen designed to please any customer," said Lee, nodding at him encouragingly.

"Yes, Naruto. It's alright. Go ahead and try it," said Neji, with a small smile, nodding.

Naruto looked down at the bowl, and sighed nervously. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and took a bite.

He paused. And then his face screwed up, noodles hanging out of his mouth.

"Well, Naruto, what do you think," asked Lee, excitedly.

"This is…" said Naruto, slurping up the noodles and gagging slightly.

"This is what," asked Lee. Naruto's face was being to turn green.

"This is…" and finally, Naruto leaned over the counter and heaved.

"THIS IS THE MOST DISGUSTING—" **heave** "THING I HAVE—" **heave** "EVER EATEN! AND YOU CALL YOURSELVES ARTISTS?! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT?! IT TASTES LIKE SPICY DOG PISS," yelled Naruto, between vomiting.

Neji, Lee, and TenTen stared at him horrified.

But suddenly, Lee and Neji looked at one another, and glared and nodded firmly in silent agreement. They jumped across the counter, and started beating Naruto up. "Why you little—" "Naruto, you know nothing—"

TenTen just watched the scene helplessly, and signed a long suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.

* * *

Lee and TenTen were both laughing hard as they remembered that memory together, recounting each detail. TenTen had moved onto the ground in front of Lee, both sitting cross-legged.

"I enjoyed those times we had together. They were so much fun," she said with a crinkled smile, wiping a happy tear from her eye.

But suddenly, she stopped smiling. She looked down, and looked at the picture of Neji she had pulled from her purse. It was a photo of him wearing the chef's outfit, covered in noodled, standing next to Lee and herself. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed, but had a small smile on his face.

She let the photograph drop to the ground and covered her face with her hands.

Lee could hear her shudder softly and she breathed in and out. She never sobbed, and she never made much sound, but he knew she was crying.

Something inside of him burned. He couldn't place what it was, but it burned like fire. And the first thought that came to his mind was, S _he loved you, Neji. You...won everything._

But, Lee couldn't watch her cry and do nothing. His heart ached to see her cry, and he wanted to hold her desperately and take all of the suffering away.

But he couldn't. He reminded himself that he was her friend, and he fought every urge in his body with a clenched fist he hid under his leg.

Instead, he laid a hand on her knee and put a sympathetic smile on his face and said, "TenTen, those fun times are not over. We still have each other, and still have our whole lives ahead of us and our other friends to share our lives with and make memories with. And…" He squeezed her knee slightly, "Neji will always be in their hearts and that as long as we remember that he would always be a part of us."

She paused, and removed her hands from her face. He could see redness around her eyes, but that was the only sign that she had been crying.

She looked at his hand on her knee, and looked up at him. She gave him a warm, appreciative smile, and leaned forward to hug him. "Lee…thank you. You're right."

A little taken aback by the sudden contact, he took a second to respond, but eventually wrapped his arms around her as well.

"Our friend Neji is always with us, but life must go on," she said with a sigh, leaning in to him slightly. "I don't know what I would do without you, Lee." She pushes further into him, and whispers, "Thank you for everything."

He perked up slightly, and thought, _"our friend…"_

But shrugged it off, and leaned in to the hug more, pressing his face further into her hair and smiling. "I don't know what I would do without you, either, TenTen. You have helped me through this loss so much. I am glad I have you by my side."

From a distance, Shizune sees them, and jumps behind a tree before they could notice her. She peers around, and watches them with a grin on her face. _Aha, man, Ino and Sakura were right. I didn't want to believe it but boy, they really do like each other._ She giggled to herself. _I hate to interrupt them, but…_

She clears her throat loudly, and steps around the tree. The two separate quickly, faces flushed.

"Oh, here you are, you two. You're needed at the Hokage's Office. You've got a mission," she said, barely stifling a laugh. She turned her heel, and walked off, saying over her shoulder, "hop to it, now. He's waiting."

She walks off, covering her mouth as she giggles.


	13. Explanations

The afternoon started to settle onto Konoha as streets bustled with busy citizens going about their day. Hinata, Kiba and Shino sat at one of the small tables in the dango shop, finishing a small afternoon snack and sipping on tea.

They had recently returned from a mission with Lee and TenTen, and were spending some time relaxing, catching up with one another.

They had spent the day separated, with Hinata meeting with Naruto and Shino and Kiba catching up on some training.

Kiba groaned in frustration. "Shino is such a god damn slave driver. The number of push-ups he makes us do…ridiculous."

Shino frowned at him. Before he could retort, Hinata spoke up said, "well, I'm sure he does it with good intentions. We all need to work on our upper body strength - especially you and I Kiba since our specialties are taijutsu." She smiled weakly at Shino, whose frown lessened but remained.

"Yeah, yeah. Still, I'm exhausted," moaned Kiba, leaning his head on his hand and elbow as he pouted slightly.

"Training is supposed to challenge you, Kiba. If you're exhausted, that probably means you got a good workout," said Shino, brow furrowing.

Kiba sighed, rolling his eyes. Suddenly, he leaned forward excitedly and touched Hinata's hand that was sitting on the table, making her jump, surprised at the sudden contact. "Hinata," he exclaimed excitedly. "You haven't told us about your date with Naruto yet!"

She pulled her hand back quickly and set it in her lap as she blushed hard. She shook her head and said, "Kiba, I told you before. It wasn't a date. We just went to visit Neji-nii-san. That was all."

Kiba smirked at her, and Shino raised an eyebrow slightly.

She looked at them and said defensively, "that's it. Nothing else."

"Nothing," asked Kiba, smirk slowly growing.

"No, nothing," said Hinata, reaching for her tea. She lifted it up to her mouth and took small sips.

"What about when he grabbed you hand," said Shino, looking at her stoically.

She nearly choked on her tea, and looked at Shino flabbergasted and said. "How…"

"My family and I were at the cemetery visiting deceased relatives," he said, still looking at her expressionless.

"My my," said Kiba, grinning from ear to ear. Hinata groaned slightly. "Holding hands? What's next, kissing? And you're not even dating yet? Has he even told you he—"

"Stop," she said, loudly and firmly, looking him in the eye but still blushing deeply.

"What? I'm just—"

"I said, stop. You know nothing about what's going on," she said with a tone of finality, reaching for her cup again. Shino watched her closely, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I can tell what's going on. You're both—" Kiba started.

"Shut up, Kiba," said Shino, without looking at him. Slightly taken aback for a second, Kiba stared at him dumbfounded, but suddenly screwed up his face to make an angry retort when Shino began again.

"Tell us what's going on, Hinata," he said.

"There's nothing going on," she said, not looking at him.

"Why? What is happening? Have you told him how you feel? Have you asked him how he feels? Has he told you how he feels? What is the hold up in moving forward," he asked.

"There…is just nothing happening. I haven't talked to him. And he hasn't talked to me. I just haven't really thought about addressing it," she said. She continued to look down at the table, and rubbed the rim of her cup.

"Why does that sound like you have given up? That isn't like you, Hinata. And why can't you look at me when you're talking about this?"

She looked up at him suddenly, a look of slightly annoyance in her eye.

Sometimes, when he looked at her the way that he did at that moment, where she could see her own reflection in his dark sunglasses and see the whites of her eyes so easily, she felt sure he was likely seeing deep into her soul or even reading her mind. She used to shudder at the thought, and look away quickly, for fear of what he might see. But, after so many years under his scutiny and after growing so close to him, she looked at him dead on confidently. She was convinced that subtle gestures like this, and other moves made by herself and others to show acceptance of Shino and his quirks helped him break out of his shell over the years.

"I haven't given up. But right now, there is still too much to do to restore the village, other villages, and to form the union. I can't focus on Naruto right now," she said.

"And what about your happiness? Life is short, Hinata, and–" started Kiba.

"Don't talk to me like I don't know that already," she said, sternly, closing her eyes in frustration. The image of Neji lying dead in her arms popped into her head, and she squeezed her eyes tight to make it disappear.

 _Why can't they see things from my perspective_ , she thought.

She opened her eyes and sighed. "I have not forgotten my feelings. I still want to walk hand in hand with him, but that time will come when it comes, if it is meant to come."

She looked out into the street, and smiled slightly. "And I know that he likely feels the same way that I do about all of this. Restoring the village, the union…everything, before we focus on ourselves and our personal goals or wants. He has said as much."

They both looked at one another with eyebrows raised, but decided not to question her. They both turned and looked at her sympathetically. They wanted her to be happy, but they understood and respected the way that she felt.

A server came around and filled up their tea cups, and Hinata blew at the steam timidly.

There was a few moments of silence between them before Kiba broke it with a small chuckle. Both Shino and Hinata looked at him questioningly.

"Well, Shino and I have noticed one thing. You definitely aren't as shy around him as you used to be. I mean, you still blush and you still stutter sometimes," he said as she looked at him mildly annoyed, "but at least you don't faint."

She chuckled and said "it's gotten easier. I've had to interact with him a lot more recently than I used to. But something has changed in him, too." She looked off to the side slightly.

"Something has changed," said Kiba, eyebrow raising. "What do you mean? What's changed?"

"I can't really explain it nor do I really know what it is. I'm still trying to figure it out and figure out what it means," she said, brow furrowing slightly.

"Well, what is he doing," said Kiba, interest peaking.

"He's…well…" she hesitated, looking off to the side, blushing slightly. "I seem to see him more frequently outside of missions and training and…work. Shopping and places like that I didn't normally see him before. And that's likely nothing but…I sometimes feel like…"

"Yes," said Kiba, leaning in and tilting the bench back, pulling Shino forward as well by the arm — who scowled slightly, but was also equally interested. They shared that bench, and it was tipping back precariously.

"I sometimes catch him watching me. Staring at me. He looks away quickly or looks at something in my general direction. But he was definitely looking at me originally," she said, blush deepening.

Kiba nearly fell on the floor as the bench started to slide out from under them, and was about to pull Shino with him if Shino had not grabbed the other end of the table quickly. Shino cursed loudly and pulled them both up straight, then punched Kiba hard in the arm, who didn't really really register the punch. He was too busy smiling at Hinata goofily.

"Hiiiiinaaataaaa," he said, musically. "You knoooow what bag means, don't you? He—"

"Don't say it, Kiba," she said, holding up a hand in front of his face. "I don't know what it means yet. We'll just have to see."

"But—" said Kiba, looking frustrated.

"No," she said definitively.

Kiba groaned, and rested hand on his elbow on the table again. "You two are KILLING ME. If that little snot nosed squirt doesn't get a move on and ask you out, I'll—"

"Hinata, Shino, Kiba," said a voice outside the shop.

All three turned to see Shizune walking up to them, followed by Lee and TenTen who waved at the three.

"What's going on, you guys," asks Kiba, looking at them quizzically.

"You're needed in the Hokage Office. You've been assigned a mission. Please follow me and the others," said Shizune.

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino looked at one another excitedly, and rose out of their seats to follow her toward the Hokage Tower.

Kiba tapped Hinata on the shoulder as they walked briskly toward the tower. She turned to him, and he said, "Hinata, seriously. I know you know what it means. The looks. I just hope you aren't trying to push him away by not showing interest anymore."

"What do you mean," she said, eyebrow raising.

"You love him. And he needs to know. But he's stupid. He can't figure it out without you showing it to him or telling him. And you need to make it obvious. But what I'm worried about is…" he looked around, then looked at her hard, " I am worried that he will get the wrong idea and lose interest. You could lose him because you lost focus."

She looked at him in shock. She was about to say something but they reached the tower. As they walked in, he leaned into her and whispered, "just think over what I said. Please," and kept walking forward.

She frowned, not sure what to think. She wanted to grab and and tell him he was wrong, that what he said made no sense. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but she knew he was watching out for her. But she also wanted to ask him more questions… _Later_ , she thought, as they reached the Hokage's Office.

Shizune reached to open the door, and let them all file in and stand at attention. The first thing she noticed when she entered the room was… _Naruto_ , she thought, as she stared at him. He was standing in front of Kakashi, next to Shikamaru, Temari and Kankuro. She looked to the left and saw Chouji and Karui. Karui smiled at her and nodded, and she returned the gesture.

Hinata took her position next to Kiba, and faced forward, placing her hands behind her back at attention and looked at the Hokage.

He was looking down at a scroll, and not paying attention to those who had just entered his office.

Shizune walked over to him, and muttered something to him. He nodded, and turned toward them. The laced his fingers under his chin, and looked over all of them carefully.

"I'm glad you all could join me," he said. "You have all been assigned to join a team of shinobi heading to Amegakure and will work on behalf of the Shinobi Union to complete this mission. Let me explain the details…"


	14. Time to Become Adults

After explaining the details of the mission with help from Shikamaru and Temari, Kakashi dismissed the team from his office.

As the members of the team walked out of his office and into the hallway, Shikamaru called them to stop.

"Before the meeting, Temari and I spoke and, although I think it's troublesome, she suggested that we all get together tonight and have dinner and finalize our plan as a team. The others members of our team should be arriving this afternoon and we will need to update them on what's been going on over in Amegakure," said Shikamaru.

"I think that's a great idea," said TenTen with a smile in Temari's direction.

Lee nodded and said, "yes, it would be a good opportunity for us to get familiar with one another since we will be working as a team. And, it has been a while since we have had an outing together."

"Where did you want to meet," asked Chouji.

"I was thinking we could meet at Shikamaru's," said Temari. Chouji spared a glance at Shikamaru, who avoided his eye contact and grimaced at Temari, who continued. "Many of us are already staying there overnight anyway before we leave in the morning." Chouji raised an eyebrow at that, and glanced at Shikamaru again. "It just makes sense. I was planning on cooking." Now Chouji looked at her, skeptically. "And have already asked Karui if she would help me, which she's graciously agreed to do." Now Chouji grinned, and looked at Karui, who blushed but smirked slightly.

"Well, sounds like a plan," said Kiba, stretching in boredom but smiling. Shino and Hinata nodded in affirmation.

Ino grinned, turned to Karui and said, "I've been dying to try your cooking, Karui. I've heard good things about it from Temari. Sai and I will be there for sure."

"Alright. See you all tonight, then," said Temari, smiling widely. Everyone waved at one another, and split off to go their separate ways and go about their business the rest of the day.

* * *

"Oh, for god's sake, Temari," grumbled Shikamaru angrily as he reached to light another hanging lantern on the porch. "No one is going to care what kind of beer we serve. Just put them both out."

Temari scowled at him, holding two different bottles of beer in her hands. She pointed at him with one of them, and began to argue.

Kankuro, Chouji, Omoi and Karui sat at the kitchen table at watched them in amusement, occasionally hissing with laughter at a snide comment thrown back and forth between them.

Only when the conversation became so loud that they were sure all of Konoha could hear them — and when Temari suddenly flipped the two bottles skillfully over in her hands into a stance that seemed to look dangerous and possibly aimed at Shikamaru's head — did Chouji and Kankuro move to say something to break them up.

* * *

Guests arrived, and the residual members of the team arrived in Konoha and were set up in rooms at Shikamaru's house.

After every guest had arrived and settled onto the couch, Shikamaru stood in front of the group, hands in his pockets, staring at them nonchalantly.

"It's good to see everyone. Temari is giving you all a packet with our updated plan," he motioned to Temari, who was walking around giving everyone a folder with documents inside, "which we will be discussing this evening. I want everyone clear on our objectives and strategies before we leave Konoha, and I wanted to be sure that we had plenty of time for questions."

"We will be traveling as one large group, so constant communication will be key…really, through out this whole mission. Let's talk for a moment about what we should anticipate when we arrive. How many of you have actually been to Ame before?"

Three people raised their hands.

"Well, it seems that the majority of you do not have experience with traveling to the village, so I wanted to give you a heads up before we arrive. This may also be enlightening for those have you who have been before.

When we arrive in Ame, you will notice that the village doesn't have village gates, per say. Rather, people are allowed to come and go as they please through a single checkpoint half-way along the bridge to Ame. Upon entering, unfamiliar faces are given a pamphlet which details some of Amegakure's notable sites, along with a map printed on each one to better navigate through the village.

All who enter the village are under constant surveillance. During the leadership of the Akatsuki, the Police Force were told to be more aggressive about their regular pat downs and chakra checking. This practice has not ended, so if you go out without police escort, do not be surprised if something like this happens, especially if you travel to certain parts of the village.

However, there is a major threat that we have just recently been made aware of. Goro's clan members are posing as police officers and are attacking foreign visitors to their village as a way to weed out the 'unwanted people' overcrowding their village.

Because these attacks seem to be increasing, I would like no one to wander the village on their own — you must always have a partner, or be with a group, if not with a police escort assigned by the police chief of myself and Temari."

Many of the team members frowned, or looked at one another wearily.

"We'll stop for the night and camp before we get to the village, but when we enter Temari and I will take the lead.

We'll head to the police station immediately, and meet with the police chief. His name is Hiroki Kazuhiko and seems to go by Police Chief Hiroki in correspondence.

Temari, Kankuro, Naruto and I will meet with him first, then we will bring you all up to speed after we've had the initial meeting.

I need to make sure we are all on the same page about something before we arrive," he said, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow.

"We are not to get involved in local politics. We do not decide who the best leader is for the village, and we do not get involved in petty fights and bickering. Our primary responsibility is to see that the residents of Amegakure are safe while the police force works with the clans to organize a join leadership over the village.

However. Part of our responsibility may be to step in as either advisors for the police force while they work with the the clan heads to come to an agreement or to serve as protectors for the police force as they meet with the clans during negotiations. I want to be sure we are all clear on this," he said, opening his eyes and looking around the room at each person.

"It is important that we all remember the mission of the Shinobi Union, which is the organization we will all be representing during this mission," said Temari, looking around the room at everyone. "Our focus is on maintaining international peace and security and developing friendly relations among nations. Our primary mission is promoting social progress and creating better living standards and protecting human rights of shinobi and civilians alike."

There was silence around the room as each person contemplated this.

"Does anyone have any questions," asked Shikamaru, raising an eyebrow.

Naruto looked around at everyone and said, "Shikamaru, I don't think anyone is going to question any of this. I think we are all on board with the mission of the Union and the objectives of this mission."

Shikamaru smiled slightly, and looked at each person. Everyone seemed to show varying degrees of agreement to what Naruto said. "Alright, then we will proceed. Now, let's talk about each team's strategy…"

* * *

The evening weighed on. Many people complimented Karui on her cooking and requested recipes to which she replied, "that's classified Kumo information, sorry," with a chuckle.

Members of the team ventured off into small group conversations — many across village, to Shikamaru and Temari's pleasure. From across the room, they smiled at one another, happy the evening was going well.

Naruto got up from his conversation with Kurotsuchi and Chojuro and moved to the counter where the drinks were located. He popped open one of the bottles of beer, and hissed and cursed in anger as it overflowed and sprayed out onto his hands and arms. Temari grimaced and blushed, realizing that was the beer she was holding earlier and that she hadn't removed it and put a new one out, and ran over to him to help clean up the mess. Chouji and Kankuro exchanged glances and then snickered with laughter.

The team soon ventured outside after dinner, enjoying the cool early autumn breeze and the fresh air of Konoha.

Ino moved to stand beside Hinata on the porch, pulling Temari and Karui with her. Karui growled in protest.

Hinata was sitting quietly on the edge of the porch watching Naruto, Kiba and Shino play with Akamaru in the back yard.

Karui had been standing beside Chouji, talking heatedly with him and Omoi about a jutsu she wanted to work on with Chouji. Omoi was doubting it's feasibility, and they debating ways to make it work. Pulling herself out of Ino's grasp, she moved to sit next to Hinata, a look of annoyance planted on her face.

Temari was becoming increasingly used to this treatment, much to her displeasure. She only signed and followed along. _This time,_ she thought.

"Hiiiiiii Hinata," said Ino with a squeal, making the other two women flinch in annoyance. "A little slug told me that you and Naruto had a date today," she whispered scandalously, glancing at Naruto with a grin, then looking back at Hinata.

The other two women perked up with mild interest, but Karui rolled her eyes and still turned away to watch others in the yard, only half listening.

Temari, who was still standing next to Ino who was leaning down and talking with Hinata, said with a snicker, "With that idiot? Are you serious?"

Hinata frowned and stuttered, "N-no! We didn't. And—" realization dawning on her, "just where did Sakura hear that from, Ino?"

Ino shrugged and said, "She said she had lunch with Naruto today, and he told her you two met to go visit Neji's grave. I think she just put the rest together based on things he told her. She said something about you two holding hands?" Ino raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"Sound the alarm," said Karui sarcastically, not turning way from the yard. Ino scowled at her.

"Wha-what," said Hinata, blush deepening. _Did Naruto tell Sakura…wait, just what did he tell Sakura_ , thought Hinata.

"So, what else did you guys do? Did you kiss," asked Ino, excitedly.

"N-no! We d-didn't," said Hinata, covering her eyes.

Temari just snickered and said, "Alright, alright, Ino. Just leave the poor girl alone. Obviously, she's been through enough. Kissing Naruto would traumatize any woman."

Ino and Temari laughed hard, causing Hinata to cover her face more with her hands. Karui looked at her, and looked at the other women with a scowl and said, "Hey, you guys, shut up. It's really not that funny."

The two started to simmer down, and Ino peered at Karui through tears in her eyes. "Oh, you shut up, Karui. YOU'RE just feeling the heat, too, because YOU'VE KISSED CHOUJI," she said, loud enough for the whole yard to hear her.

Karui froze, eyes wide and said, "What?"

Hearing his name, and catching the last part of the sentence, Chouji turned from his conversation with Omoi and said, "Huh?!"

Omoi stared at Chouji with eyes wide, not really sure what to say.

Naruto, Kiba, and Shino stopped what they were doing and were looking in the direction of the porch, eyebrows raised. A smirk was slowly rising to the corners of Kiba's mouth and, sensing that he was about to make an inappropriate comment, Shino placed a hand on his arm to silence him. Kiba turned to look at him with a surprised look on his face, to which Shino replied with a shake of his head telling him to hold his tongue. Kiba pursed his lips irritably, but remained silent.

Shikamaru and Kankuro popped their heads out of the window of the kitchen, where they had been sitting and having a conversation about the mission. Shikamaru looked at Chouji and smirked knowingly, but it quickly dissipated when he saw the distress on his friend's face.

Sai, Lee, TenTen, Akatsuchi and Misuno who were sitting on some lawn furniture, all turned toward the group. TenTen covered her mouth in shock.

Chojuro and Kurotsuchi, who were sitting on the other end of the porch near the lawn furniture and were deep in conversation, turned to see what all of the commotion was about. Chojuro placed a hand on Kurotsuchi's shoulder and pushed her forward slightly, giving him enough space to see.

Karui looked at Ino, mouth moving slowly, face flaming red. "How…why…what…"

"Oh, it's just obvious," Ino hissed quickly, looking around at everyone with an angry blush on her face.

Temari looked at Ino with a small frown of disapproval, and Hinata looked between Karui and Ino, and even once at Chouji, dumbfounded.

Chouji looked at Karui, willing her to know that he didn't say anything to anyone. He could sense the anger bubbling inside her, and he prayed to every god he could think of that she didn't unleash that anger on him. "Karui," he whispered pleadingly, willing her to look at him. But she didn't. She just stared at Ino, looking slightly betrayed but very angry.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and looked down toward her lap. She took a deep breath, and said loudly, "You know…So what. That's right. Chouji and I have kissed. ONCE." She emphasized that last word by raising her voice slightly.

"But, you know something. It's none of your business what goes on between us. And I think it's childish to keep picking on one another because of who we spend our time with romantically. Who cares who's doing who or who kissed who or who held who's hand." She opened her eyes and looked at Hinata and Naruto. Naruto immediatly froze, and looked side to side innocently. "We are adults, now. I think its time that we act like adults."

There was a long, silent pause. Then, Rock Lee spoke up and said loudly, "Here, here. I agree with you, Karui."

"Lee, just who the hell would be in a relationship with you—" started Kiba, who was interrupted by TenTen who said, "I agree. It's time to be adults about this, you guys."

There was a resounding mumble of agreement. Ino turned to Karui and said, "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's fine." said Karui, turning back toward the yard, not looking at her anymore. Before Ino could say more, Kankuro spoke up.

"Well, since we're confessing things about relationships. SHIKAMARU AND TEMARI ARE F—" Kankuro started, but was grabbed by mouth by Shikamaru who pulled him into the house cursing.

Temari pinched her nose bridge and shook her head. She looked from the corner of her eye at Karui, who was looking at her with a knowing smirk on her face. Temari kicked her lightly, earning a soft chuckle from the other.

* * *

As the evening died down, many people stifled yawns during conversations or moved to finish off glasses of whatever they were drinking.

"Shikamaru, Temari, I think it's time I called it a night," said Naruto loudly across the room, yawning widely. His yawned caused others in the room to yawn, and many mumbled in agreement, and began to get up and head toward the door, finishing off their conversations.

There seemed to still be an air of camaraderie as everyone either walked to the door to leave for the evening, or walked toward the stairwell. Despite the occasional yawn, conversations continued and laughter rang out as everyone stood in place waiting to say goodbye. The team was invited to breakfast at Shikamaru's in the morning before they headed out for the mission, and soon everyone began to leave or head upstairs for the night.

* * *

Temari and Karui cooked breakfast in the morning as everyone talked loudly about the day ahead and their experiences with Amegakure and their shinobi. Shikamaru was listening to Chouji talk with Omoi about a jutsu when he happened to glance in the direction of Kurotsuchi and Chojuro, and noticed something odd. They seemed to be making every effort to not look at one another, which was troublesome. His immediate worry was that something bad had happened — perhaps something that could ruin the alliance. But when they did finally look at one another, their reaction surprised him. Chojuro blushed madly, and looked away quickly, almost spilling his cup of orange juice. Kurotsuchi blushed but also quickly looked away and tried to quickly engage in conversation with the person next to her, and seemed to grimace slightly.

 _Thats…odd_ , thought Shikamaru, brow furrowing. Temari happened to look at him, and catch him looking in Kurotsuchi's direction. She looked at him questioningly, to which he replied with a subtle shrug and a mouthed, "tell you later."

* * *

The team packed up, headed toward the gate, and proceeded toward the open road.

They came upon a narrow bridge passing over a deep pit. If you looked down, you couldn't see the bottom easily.

"This bridge was recently rebuilt after the war to help civilian locals get from one side to the other in order to access certain area facilities or farmlands," said Shikamaru.

"That bridge doesn't look very stable. I think we should cross in small groups," suggested Omoi, watching the bridge timidly as swung in the wind.

The team crossed the bridge slowly, crossing in small groups in order to not put a lot of weight on the bridge.

Hinata, Naruto, Ino, Sai, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino moved to cross the bridge last.

When they were halfway across, suddenly, a rope holding the bridge broke and snapped, knocking Sai and Hinata over the edge of the bridge and hitting Sai hard in the head, knocking him unconscious.

"No! Hinata!" Naruto leaned over the edge reaching out for and calling Hinata's name as she screams while they fall.

* * *

 


	15. Falling

Wind zipped passed Hinata's ears as she felt herself fall further and further from the bridge and toward the bottom of the cavern. She looked everywhere in panic, trying to find a place to grab onto as each ledge slips through her fingers. She reached out desperately for Sai, who hadn't woken up yet, and every time she touched him she could never quite grasp him.

Her thoughts wandered and her eyes began to get hazy. _Neji-nii-san, is this it? Am I…_

But she heard something that made her eyes widen in shock. She heard the echo of Naruto's scream as he shouted, "No! Hinata!" and she realized, _No, I'm not done yet._ She thinks quickly and looks around, trying to formulate a plan.

With determination in her eyes, she pulled up her leg toward her body and reached into her thigh holster for three kunai and rope.

She tied the rope around her middle, then she tied the rope around one of the kunai and threw it a Sai. It reached his leg and wrapped around it, cutting into the skin slightly. She pulled at him, and he came toward her.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself, and tried to reach out toward the wall with both kunai in hand, stabbing hard. She missed the first time, knocking hard into a ledge and hitting her arm and side. But the second time she tried it, she made it, slamming her kunai hard into the firm wall and feeling the hard stop and the hard tug in her middle as Sai stops with her. Sai's body slammed hard into the side of the wall, but he does not wake up.

She gasped in agony, but dismissed the pain and began to look around for a ledge or some small spot where she could set Sai down and tend to his injury.

She sees a fairly large ledge about 50 feet below and she sighed in relief, thinking, a _t least that's something. I should be able to lay Sai down on that ledge._

She released one of the kunai with a grunt, feeling the strain on her other arm as she slams the released kunai into the wall about 6 inches down from its original spot. She releases the other kunai, and tries to slam it farther down than the first, earning a fresh surge of pain from the muscles in her back as her body hangs uncomfortably. _No more of that,_ she thought, bitterly. _About 6 inches at a time is all I can do._

She repeats the process, going from right to left and back again, stopping halfway to breath deeply before she continued as quickly as she could.

As she reaches the ledge, she sets Sai down as slowly and carefully as she could manage before she finally lets herself drop from the wall onto the ledge with a **_thud_** and loud scream of pain and anguish she realized she had been holding back the whole time. She rested her head up against the wall for a moment, trying to control her breathing, before she turned to Sai.

She crawled over to him, wincing in pain at the feeling in her arms, and sat on her knees over him. She activated her byakugan, emitted chakra from her hands and began to assess the damage done. She directed her healing chakra to a spot where he was bleeding on his head, and several spots on his arm and side. She removed the rope and kunai, and healed the spot where kunai wound was located. The wound had deepened substantially during the fall and climb.

As she finished, she sighed in relief as she saw Sai's open slowly. He reached up and touched his head, making a slightly pained expression. But, as if he realized what happened, he sat up suddenly and looked around with an alarmed look on his face.

"It's okay, Sai. We're safe for now," said Hinata, finishing healing his leg wound.

He looked at her questioningly and said, "How…what happened? We were falling? How did we end up here?"

"I stopped us from falling, and climbed down onto this ledge. Sai, stop moving, I'm trying to heal you," she said, getting frustrated by his fidgeting.

"What do you mean you stopped us from falling," said Sai.

She explained the details to him, and he looked at her bewildered. "You…you did that all by yourself," he said, looking genuinely surprised.

She blushed and nodded, avoiding his eye contact.

He looked at her, impressed. "Huh. Well…we should probably...wait, are you okay," he asked, looking at her concerned. She looked like she was about to pass out.

"I'll be fine once we get out of here. Sai, will you…will…" but before she could finish the sentence, she started to wobble. Darkness appeared in the corner of her eyes, and she could hear Sai call her name but she couldn't make her mouth move anymore to respond, and seemed to loose control of the rest of her body. She felt Sai lay her down on her back, and saw him looking over her face. He appeared to be saying something with a concerned look on his face, but she couldn't really hear him. And then, very suddenly, the world turns black…

* * *

Hinata could hear the flapping of wings around her, but she couldn't move or open her eyes to see what was going on. She could feel the wind blowing in her face, and she felt like she was being lifted up. She heard herself moan, but couldn't form words. And then, suddenly, blackness again.

* * *

"Hi…Hi…Hinata…HINATA," she heard a familiar female voice calling her name in panic, and felt soft small hands on her cheeks.

Her eyes flickered open slowly, and she saw Ino's face, looking at her concerned. When her eyes opened completely, she saw relief wash over Ino's face as cried her name again in happiness.

"Hinata, are you alright," asked TenTen, who was sitting on the other side of Hinata, worry still evident in her eyes.

"I…yes, I'm…" Hinata started to speak, and began to lift up onto her arms but fell back, groaning in pain.

"Lay back, Hinata, your arms must be killing you. Everything is okay," said Ino, smiling at her.

"What about Sai," asked Hinata, looking at Ino with worried eyes.

"He's fine. He flew you both out of the cavern. He said you passed out from exhaustion and from lack of chakra," said Ino, frowning slightly at her.

"Oh. Well, I am glad he's alright," said Hinata, laying back and looking up at the sky.

"Hinata, are you alright?!"

All heads turned to see Naruto running over toward her. He had been standing with the others, waiting for Ino to heal Hinata and wake her up.

Hinata blushed hard and nodded, "yes, Naruto, I'm alright."

Naruto sighed in relief, earning a side glance a small smirk from Ino. "I'm glad. I heard what you did for Sai. That was amazing," he said, giving her a big smile and a thumbs up.

Her blush deepened and she shrugged slightly, feeling really uncomfortably laying down and looking up at him. "Um, it was nothing, really. I'm just glad he's okay," she said, sheepishly.

Shikamaru and Temari walked up behind Naruto, and Shikamaru looked at Hinata and Naruto with his thumbs up and sighed in exhaustion, rolling his eyes slightly. He looked at Hinata and said, with concern laced in his voice, "Hinata, are you alright?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Good, I'm glad," he said with a small smile and a nod. "Thank you for what you did for Sai."

Hinata blushed, but smiled slightly and nodded.

Shikamaru turned to the rest of the team and said, "Temari and I were thinking that this spot might be a good place to make camp since we are about three quarters of the way to our final destination and nightfall is coming soon. Let's work together to set up camp."

Everyone nodded in affirmation, and began.


	16. It's in the Eyes

TenTen reached down to pick up a large, thick stick, and inspected it before putting it under her arm and continuing to search the ground for more. Lee and TenTen walked through the woods to grab pieces of wood for the fire, and so far had about half of what they needed. They were in a part of the country that had very little vegetation, so they were having trouble finding good firewood.

"Hey, Lee," said TenTen, while she was squatting down and looking at a stick skeptically.

"Hm," mumbled Lee, leaning over to grab a stick, not looking in her direction.

"What do you think about Chouji and Karui? I mean, it doesn't really sound like they're dating or anything yet…but they did kiss, and they seem to like one another. I'm sure you've seen the way they interact with one another, right?"

"Hmmm…" he said, glancing over at her for a moment, then turning back to his task. "I haven't really given it a lot of thought." His brow furrowed in concentration for a moment, and then he said, "But, I suppose I have noticed them talking to one another frequently. Chouji seems to smile a lot when he is around her."

TenTen clutched the sticks to her chest and hummed with a wide goofy smile, "I think they're so cute!"

Lee turned and half smiled at her, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose they are. I'm just glad Chouji found someone who seems to make him happy."

"Yes, it's really sweet," said TenTen smiling wistfully. Lee smiled fully at her, then turned back to keep working.

Then, a thought crossed TenTen's mind. She lowered her sticks, and her smile started to fade slightly as she said quietly, "it seems like everyone is finding their special someone." She turned away from Lee, and frowned slightly before she leaned down and continued searching for firewood.

Lee peered at her for a moment, and saw the sadness in her eyes. He felt a tightness in his chest, and turned to face her again.

"Ten—" he started, but paused. Images of the photos of Neji under her television popped into his head. An image of her clutching Neji's photo and smiling, then staring at it longingly and beginning to cry flashed in his mind. His breath caught in his chest, and he felt that familiar burning sensation in the pit of his stomach again.

She hadn't heard him. She was too far away, and had her back toward him.

He gasped in pain, and grimaced slightly before turning around quickly and squatting down to the ground.

 _I…can't_ , he thought, _she would never…_

"Hey, Lee, I think I have enough. What about you," said TenTen, looking in his direction.

He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply to gain his composure. _No,_ he thought. _I can't. As long as I fulfill my promise to Neji and stay by her side, that's all I need. Why ruin our friendship by telling her I—_

"Lee," she said, starting to walk over toward him.

He inhaled and exhaled softly before standing and turning to smile at her, conveying nothing of his precious emotions or thoughts. "Yeah, I am finished, TenTen. Let's head back to camp. I am starving!"

"Alright. Lead the way," she said smiling at him.

He turned and started walking toward camp with her walking behind him. He closed his eyes tightly and thought, _yes, this is all I need…_

* * *

Omoi grunted as he pulled the cords of one of the edges of the tent taut. He tied it to the post on the ground, and stood up, wiping sweat from his forehead. He turned to look at Kankuro, who was finishing his end of the tent. He looked just beyond him, and saw two of his other team mates coming back into camp with firewood. _What was their names again,_ he thought, _TenTen, right? And…Rock…something. I'll ask Kankuro in a minute._ TenTen had a small frown on her face and she was staring at the back of Lee's head hard, but it disappeared before Lee turned to grab her portion of the wood and asked something, to which she replied with a wide excited smile.

Kankuro growled in frustration as his cord slid loose from his hand for the third time. "I can't get this stupid…who invented tents anyway…OMOI," he said in a commanding tone. Omoi turned to him in attention, then relaxed. He scowled at him and said, "What?"

"Help me with this side of the tent," Kankuro barked, moving away from it.

Omoi sighed, and started walking over. "A simple 'please' would've been appreciated," he mumbled under his breath.

He fixed the tent, and peered around it at the other tents lined up next to it. He noticed Chouji and Karui working on one side of a tent together, and he frowned. Karui was pulling on one of the cords, but seemed to be struggling. She was blushing profusely, and kept tucking her hair behind her ears rather awkwardly. Chouji was pulling on the cord for her, and seemed to pull it taut with no trouble. _Since when does Karui need help putting up a tent_ , thought Omoi, brow furrowing in confusion. _She's generally much stronger than me,_ he thought, begrudgingly. But, then he watched and realized just how close by were standing together, and how close their faces were when she turned and thanked Chouji for his help. Omoi turned around in disgust. _Oh,_ he thought, _that's why she was having trouble…_

* * *

The fire crackled merrily as everyone sat around it and ate some of the soup and fish that had been cooked. There was loud conversation and laughter as everyone went around the circle and told stories — and in this case, they were telling stories about Naruto and their individual experiences with him. They were none too positive. His face held a perpetual scowl.

"Wait, wait," said Kurotsuchi, wiping away tears in her eyes and trying to control her laughter, turning to look at TenTen. "Dog piss? So, are you saying he's actually tried dog piss before?"

TenTen shrugged comically, and continued to laugh with the others.

"I have not," said Naruto through gritted teeth. "It was just an expression."

"Yeah, Naruto. Sure it was," said Shikamaru, smirking at him.

"I bet Kiba knows whether or not Naruto has tried dog piss before. Don't you, Kiba," said Chouji, grinning deviously and laughing. "Why don't you tell that story about that night in Yugakure when everyone went drinking…"

Kiba blew on his nails and rubbed them on his coat comically, smirking. Then he looked off to the side at Naruto, poking and rolling his tongue on the right side of his mouth so it stuck his cheek out, and leaned back and crossing his legs leisurely. He said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Shikamaru. Chouji. I just think we all learned that night that Naruto had a soft spot for Akamaru. Oh, and that he likes to cuddle." Kiba peered at Hinata from the corner of his eye, but no one noticed.

Everyone laughed harder.

Naruto was fuming, and he got up and tossed his cup down onto the ground in anguish. This only caused more laughter.

Hinata watched him, frowning slightly. She sighed, and looked at the fire. She heard more conversation, but ignored it. She wasn't really interested in teasing Naruto anymore. There was a brief moment where it was a little funny when even Naruto was laughing a little at it — but it got old very quickly, especially when she could tell he was getting hurt by it.

Suddenly, she felt someone touch her thigh gently. Her eyes widened, and she turned to the person who did it. "Shino," she said, looking at him curiously.

"You should go check on him. My kikaichu tell me that he's still angry, and he's by the river talking to himself," said Shino, stoically.

"But…" mumbled Hinata, looking back an forth, lost in thought. "But why should I go talk to him. Wouldn't he just be better off alone? To cool off?"

"Are you being serious, Hinata," asked Shino, tilting his head slightly.

"Shino…" she said, looking off to the side.

"Hinata, you really should go see him. Why? Because he needs you. You've been able to calm him down before."

"I have," she said, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

He just tilted his head more at her, and said nothing.

She pursed her lips, and turned to look at the fire again. _Maybe Shino is right,_ she thought. _I guess I'll go…but how can I get away without attracting too much attention?_

"Man, I'm beat," said Kiba, stretching widely and yawning. "I think I'm going to call it a night, guys."

"Yeah, me too," said Chouji, rubbing an eye.

Several others muttered an agreement, and many people got up and started walking toward the tents. Very few remained, including Shino, who was still looking at her expectantly.

She nodded at him, and got up to walk toward the direction of the tents. She turned abruptly, and continued down the path toward the river.

Moonlight shined down on the river, and the water glistened as it moved briskly. She saw Naruto almost immediately.

He was sitting on a large rock. His knees were pulled up to his chest, and he was looking hard at the river.

She paused, not quite sure how to approach him. She was nervous. _What…what do I say? 'Hey, Naruto, sorry you got picked on?' That feels pretty weak_ , she thought.

She sighed inwardly. _It doesn't matter what I say, I guess. I just need to say something. Try to comfort him somehow…_

She inhaled a large amount of air, then continued to walk forward, determined to be confident.

"Hi, Naruto," she said, voice shaking more than she would've liked.

He turned to her, and didn't seem very surprised to see her. "Hi Hinata. Why are you here," he said, stoically.

She was a little taken aback by that response, and felt her confidence waver slightly. But she was determined to continue. "I…I wanted to check on you. Are you alright? You left kinda suddenly."

He turned back to the river with a grunt. "I was just getting hot from the fire. That's all."

She tilted her head at that, and narrowed her eyes, smiling slightly. "I don't remember a time when Naruto Uzumaki ever lied to me before. This is a first."

He turned to her, eyes wide. "What?"

She walked over to him, and sat down next him. Every particle of her being was screaming in embarrassment, but she tried to ignore it and looked at him with a smirk. "You're lying to me, Naruto Uzumaki. I can tell."

He narrowed his eyes at her, and frowned slightly. "What makes you say that?" His eyes narrowed further. "And don't you dare say that 'the Byakugun is all seeing' and that 'you can see through lies.' Neji tried to pull that crap on me once and it won't work a second time."

She giggled at that. "No, Naruto. I can tell by your eyes."

"My eyes," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes," she said, smiling at him.

"What are you talking about," he said, looking away from her. She could tell that he was beginning to remember another time when she said this exact same thing, but she continued.

"I can tell a lot of things by your eyes, Naruto. I know you very well. And I've seen your eyes when you've lied to other people before. I know what you look like. But I'd never thought that I'd be on the receiving end of those eyes before." She turned away from him, looking at the river. She didn't hide the hurt that she felt, and let it show on her face.

He peered at her, and frowned slightly.

There was silence between them for a moment, and then suddenly, he grabbed her hand. She gasped in surprise at this and looked at him wide eyed. He didn't look at her, and stared hard at the river.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. You're a good friend, and I shouldn't lie to you. I'm…I was just hurt, is all. They were picking on me a lot and…"

"I understand, Naruto," she said quietly, looking back at the river. "I'm sorry. They were wrong to do that. You're an amazing person, and have been through a lot. More than they could ever imagine."

Naruto looked down at the ground.

"But, try to remember that they do hold you in high regards and have the up-most respect for you, Naruto. And they enjoy your friendship. They weren't picking on you to be mean. They were reminiscing about times you've all shared together," she said, turning and smiling at him.

His eyes widened slightly, and he turned to look at her.

She smiled at him, and clinched his hand a little tighter. She could tell that she was getting through to him.

He smiled slightly, and turned to look at the river again. "You're right, Hinata. Maybe I overreacted and took it too heart a little too much."

He released her hand, and climbed off the rock. "Thanks, Hinata." He reached a hand out for her, to help her off the rock. "I feel a lot better." She took it and smiled. She started to climb off the rock and tripped slightly, falling into him, pressed up against his chest.

She looked up at him, blushing slightly. And he looked down at her, eyes wide, blushing slightly. He pulled back, making the distance between them wide, and looked away. "Um, are you okay, Hinata," he asked hoarsely.

"Y-yes. Thank you." She realized she was still holding his hand. She let go, and turned to start walk down the path. "G-goodnight…Naruto," she said, peering at him slightly over her shoulder.

"Goodnight, Hinata," he mumbled, watching her leave, expression unreadable. He didn't follow her.

* * *

Temari was laying back on her sleeping bag, legs crossed, reading a document. "Another round of reports, Shikamaru. This time, Chief Hiroki says that they've discovered that individuals who have taken the food pills given by Goro to his clan members show dilated pupils, red rims around their eyes, and blood vessels protruding around their eye sockets. With excessive use, some individuals have suffered from vision loss.

Shikamaru scowled in disgust, "those are some nasty side effects." He was sitting at a chair and table scattered with papers just across from her.

"You're telling me," said Temari with a frown.

Shikamaru pinch his nose and sighed. "Well, it can't be helped right now. We'll get one of those pills and analyze it when we arrive, but for now, we can't do much else."

Temari sighed, setting the paper down and slinging an arm over her eyes. "Yeah, I know."

Shikamaru looked at Temari for a moment, and tilted his head to the side as he looked her up and down. He began to smile slightly.

"Tem," he said, quietly.

"Hm," she said disinterested sounding, not moving.

He lifted out of the chair and walked over toward her. Still she didn't move. He squatted on the ground, and crawled to lay beside her. She finally removed her arm, and looked at him with a scowl.

"What," she said. He could sense mock annoyance in her voice, which caused the corners of his mouth to rise ever so slightly. He sat up on one of his elbows, and looked down at her.

"You know, you're pretty lucky," he said, looking at his fingernails nonchalantly.

"Oh, I am, am I," she said, looking at him with a mildly amused look on her face.

"Yes, yes you are. See, you get to spend your time with a man like me. Smart, funny, handsome, an elite and high ranking ninja. I've got women who are just begging for a piece of Shikamaru."

"Oh you do, do you," she said, amusement growing.

"Absolutely. Women are crawling over each other, sopping wet, begging for it—"

"Alright, alright" said Temari, fighting back laughter.

"Anyway, you're lucky," he said, still looking away nonchalantly.

But then he turned, and looked into her eyes in a way that made Temari's breath catch in her throat.

"But, I'm luckier. I have you. You're Temari of the Sand. You're beautiful. You're one of the most powerful kunoichi in the world. You've got men at your doorstep begging the Kazekage for your hand in marriage. You're the most highly respected diplomat in all of the hidden villages, and your negotiating skills are second to none. And I am lucky because you've given me the time of day…you've allowed me to spend your free time with you. So, for that, thank you."

She looked up at him, wide eyed, blushing, mouth gaping open slightly.

"Shikamaru, I…"

He leaned down, and kissed her softly. And she reached her arms around his neck, and pulled him in closer to deepen the kiss.

Kankuro had been peering in the tent, watching Shikamaru move over toward Temari, when Naruto began to walk up to the tent. He stopped him from walking in, and pointed quietly through the flap at the two laying on the ground. Naruto and Kankuro watched the two talk, and laughed silently at Shikamaru and his antics. When Shikamaru leaned down to kiss Temari, they both turned to fake gag. But Kankuro turned back for a moment, and noticed the smile of pure blissful happiness on his sister's face, and couldn't help but smile slightly, glad she was happy.

* * *

Breakfast was made and tents were broken down the next morning as the team prepared to leave the camp and set out for the village.

They closed the distance to the village sooner than they expected, and soon they reached the large bridge they needed to cross that lead them to the gate to Amegakure.

"Remember, everyone, Temari and I will take the lead on this. Just remain quiet and allow us to handle everything," said Shikamaru, looking around at everyone, who nodded in affirmation.

When they reached the gate, they were greeted by two Amegakure shinobi, and two police officers.

"Hello," said Temari with a wide smile. "We're here to meet with your police force. Your police chief should be expecting us."

"Turn back and go back where you came from. We are no longer accepting visitors to Amegakure," said one of the shinobi firmly.

"We were invited by Police Chief Hiroki. Here, we have documentation," said Shikamaru, producing a scroll.

"Foreigners are not welcome here. Go back where you came from," said the shinobi, looking at Shikamaru with hatred in his eyes.

Temari chanced a glance at Shikamaru, who nodded that he noticed it too. The ninjas all had red rimmed eyes and dilated pupils.

Shikamaru looked at the two police officers. They weren't moving, and hadn't spoken this entire time. He took a chance.

"You, Commander…Kiashi," said Shikamaru, reading the badge on one of the officers. "Please check this note from your Chief. It will prove our case. We were invited to help your village with a problem—"

"DO NOT TALK BADLY ABOUT OUR VILLAGE, OUTSIDER," said one of the shinobi, growling at Shikamaru. "We do not need help from any of you outsiders!"

"You have never helped us before, and we have survived. Why should we accept help from you now," said the other, sniffing at Shikamaru and Temari in disgust.

But Shikamaru wasn't looking at either of them. He was looking at the two officers, who weren't moving. Something was wrong.

He now turned to Temari, who nodded. Temari reached behind her back slowly, and unlatched the buckle on her tessen.

"Come on, guys," said Shikamaru, putting his hands up defeatedly. "I'm just following orders. I was sent here to meet with the police chief. Just let me by so I can complete my mission."

"There's no way in hell we are going to—" started one of the shinobi, but suddenly, a rock landed against his head, knocking him out. His partner looked at him surprised, and began to look at Shikamaru and Temari angrily, but realized they were looking around for the perpetrator as well. He panicked, and started looking around to, when suddenly someone jumped down and landed on his back. He fell to the ground with a loud grunt.

Suddenly, 30 or so police officers swarmed the scene quickly, shouting and looking around.

The man who had jumped on top of the shinobi stood, raising his head to look at Shikamaru and Temari with a stoic expression.

"Sorry it took so long. Had another incident to attend to on the way here. You must be Shikamaru and Temari," said the man, extending a hand out to both of them, shaking each of their hands firmly. The man was tall, muscular, and had spiky fiery red hair. He wore sunglasses, a black leather jacket, and black utility pants.

He turned to walk through the gate, without looking back at them. "I'm Police Chief Hiroki. Let's go, we don't have much time to dottle," he said firmly.

He looked after him, raising an eyebrow sheepishly. Then turned toward the rest of the team and motioned for them to follow.

Shikamaru peered at the two police officers closely, who were still standing at attention.

"Don't worry about them, they're dead," said Chief Hiroki over his shoulder.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, and he pulled back from the officer he had been studying quickly.

"Shikamaru…" Temari whispered, watching Chief Hiroki as they continued to walk down the bridge.

"I know. For now, let's just try to keep up with this guy," said Shikamaru, motioning with his thumb.

"I think he's awesome," whispered Naruto between them, a little too loudly.

"You would," said Shikamaru with a groan, pushing Naruto back behind them.


	17. Vouching and In-Fighting

Cold sheets of rain washed down the large windows of the Police Station as the team walked into the building following the Police Chief. He dropped them off at the security check point, and instructed his officers to bring their team leaders to his office once they were finished.

The security check at the police station was rigorous and tedious. After the long, 30 minute process was complete, the larger portion of the team was left to sit in a large conference room while the team leaders were taken to the Police Chief's office.

Shikamaru, Naruto, Kankuro and Temari waited quietly in the Police Chief's office for the him to meet with them, but they were soon waiting for an hour and 20 minutes — and patience among some of the group was running thin.

Temari sat with her legs and arms crossed and was swinging her foot side to side. She sighed irritably, earning a quick sideways glance and frown from Shikamaru.

Naruto, who was sitting next to Kankuro and sitting behind Shikamaru and Temari, leaned forward between Shikamaru and Temari and whispered, "what's taking so long? Isn't this supposed to be a priority for them?"

"I don't know. I'm sure he just got tied up. He is the police chief," whispered Shikamaru, pursing his lips and glancing at Temari from the corner of his eye.

She frowned at him, and turned to Naruto. "I'm with you, Naruto. I wonder what's taking so long," whispered Temari, a little louder than the others.

"What took so long is that I had to deal with another incident, Miss Temari," said a firm cold voice behind them. They all jumped and turned to face the speaker except for Temari, who faced forward and whose face paled. Police Chief Hiroki was standing in the doorway with another man that they had not met yet.

Trying to ease the tension, Shikamaru asked sheepishly, "um, uh…Incident you say? What happened?"

"Yes," said Police Chief Hiroki, who walked into the office and went to sit behind his desk, slapping a folder down onto his desktop. He exchanged dark glances with the other man, who came in to sit in a chair stationed to his right.

"Some of Goro's men attacked a Masanori silk shop. They blew up the shop and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and injured 10 citizens who were in the shop and walking by the shop," said Police Chief Hiroki stoically.

Shikamaru looked at Temari gravely, who frowned.

Police Chief Hiroki removed his glasses and set them on the table with a loud clatter. He pinched his nose bridge, sighing, and said, "it's just one thing after another, right Omaku?"

The other man snorted softly, but remained still. Omaku had long grey slicked back hair, small rectangular glasses, dark black eyes and pale skin. He wore a large black puffed vest, a white collared shirt, and black pants. He sat very straight with his arms crossed, and he seemed to be looking at each of them closely.

Shikamaru observed the man just as closely, wondering what he was doing there. Sensing this, Police Chief Hiroki motioned to the officer next to him and said, "my apologizes. This is Commander Omaku Masanori. He is my second in command."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow and said, "Masanori?"

Commander Omaku turned his attention to Kankuro, who tensed slightly under his scrutinizing glare.

"Yes. My uncle is the clan leader. My side of the family has a long history of protecting the clan, this village and the people in it. We have family members in the police force, village ninja ranks including ANBU, and other major offices," said Commander Omaku.

Shikamaru couldn't help but wonder if there was some hidden agenda behind his statement — " _My side of the family has a long history of protecting the clan, this village and the people in it._ " The order of those items he protected didn't seem coincidental.

"Omaku has worked with me for over 20 years. He's my best investigator and undercover officer," said Police Chief Hiroki, glancing over at Omaku with a small smile. "But enough introductions. Shikamaru and Temari. I assume you two are serving as team leaders," said Police Chief Hiroki, glancing down at a paper in front of him.

"Yes, you should have received a copy of our team roster. I brought an extra if you did not," said Shikamaru.

Police Chief Hiroki waved his hand dismissively and said, "yes, I received it. We'll talk about that in a moment. You two will be working closely with myself and Omaku throughout this entire mission. But, Omaku will be leaving to return to his undercover post as one of Goro's most trusted men shortly after this meeting, so you will not see him much and will be expected to interact with him as if you have never had contact with him before when you are around Goro's men."

Eyes widened on the four of them, and Temari and Shikamaru exchanged glances.

"Pardon me for asking a possibly dumb question," said Naruto, "but isn't it a conflict of interest to have a Masanori working undercover for Goro's clan?"

"No, I have nothing to do with the main house of my clan," said Commander Omaku shortly, looking away from them toward the Police Chief.

There was a moment of awkward silence before the Police Chief Hiroki spoke and said, "I have the upmost confidence in Omaku. There are no issues with conflict of interest."

Shikamaru nodded quickly and said, "right, we are sure there is nothing to be concerned about." However, he saw Temari's warning signal — crossing and uncrossing of her legs — indicating her concern about the situation. He felt the same way — they may need to look into this more in the future.

"In any case. I looked over your submitted team structure, Shikamaru, and I have a question about one of your members," said Police Chief Hiroki as he looked at Shikamaru sternly. "What made you decide that it would be a good idea to bring the Kyuubi into our village?"

The whole room tensed, and Naruto gripped the arms of his chair tightly. He could feel Kurama stir slightly from sleep.

"What do you mean," asked Temari, sensing the two Konoha ninja's discomfort.

"What I mean is, Kyuubi is dangerous. He has been known to be uncontrollable and has been known to destroy entire villages on a whim." Naruto could hear Kurama growl inside him. "I don't want anything like that to happen to my village, and I don't want Kyuubi, the monster made up of pure chaotic evil, to be in my village."

"Have you forgotten," said Kankuro, barely calm and close to a growl, "that the Kyuubi saved the world. That Naruto, the man sitting right next to me, saved our entire world from devastation? And that Naruto did it by working as a partner with Kyuubi?"

"I've heard the rumors and stories," said Police Chief Hiroki, dismissively, pursing his lips in disbelief.

" _Hmph, stupid ungrateful human_ ," said Kurama with a growl. Naruto could feel his anger growing inside him.

" _Kurama, don't worry about him. He wasn't there and doesn't know what happened_ ," said Naruto to Kurama, standing in front of him with his back to him. " _Just let me handle this._ " Kurama regarded him with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.

"They're not rumors or stories," said Shikamaru, frowning. "Naruto is a great hero who has complete control over the Kyuubi—"

"Shikamaru," said Naruto, barely above a whisper, as he placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.

Everyone turned to face him, and he was looking down at the floor. He looked at he Police Chief stoically, and said, "Kurama and I are friends. Your concerns about him are unwarranted. He will not destroy your village. He has changed, and is no longer as evil as he once was."

Naruto could feel Kurama's anger subsiding. But he growled in protest. " _Don't put words in my mouth, Naruto._ " Naruto just chuckled and said, " _Kurama, it's not that I doubt your abilities, it's that I know you. You won't do anything to hurt anyone._ " Kurama snorted sarcastically, but said nothing, smiling at Naruto appreciatively.

"That's a very nice thing to say but are you willing to promise something like that," said Police Chief Hiroki.

Kurama growled again, teeth flashing angrily. " _Shh, Kurama, just wait_ " said Naruto, turning back to frown at him.

"Police Chief Hiroki, Naruto is here to help you with negotiations. He is our top negotiator for Konoha and for the Union. I included him because I felt like you would benefit the most from his skills," said Shikamaru, voice firm.

"The vast majority of our team members owe Naruto Uzumaki and the Kyuubi their life's and would vouch for him and his skills as well," said Kankuro as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"You have nothing to worry about related to Kyuubi. I have seen it myself numerous times - Naruto Uzumaki has complete control over the Kyuubi, and they work together symbiotically when fighting as friends," said Shikamaru. Temari glanced at him, and smiled slightly.

Kurama's eyes widened. He was not expecting to be defended by others besides Naruto. He looked down at Naruto, who gave him a half smile.

Police Chief Hiroki looked at each of them skeptically, and seemed to be searching for any sign of doubt or discomfort. Having found none, he nodded and said, "very well. We will proceed."

* * *

"What the hell is taking them so long," said Kiba with a loud groan. He was sitting with his hands behind his head, legs crossed and feet on the conference room table.

Shino frowned at him disapprovingly. Hinata turned from her conversation with Ino and TenTen and shrugged sheepishly at Kiba and Shino and said, "I'm sure they have a good reason. They are getting a full briefing and our complete mission details."

Kiba sighed annoyedly and closed his eyes. He was tired of waiting. He was restless, his body ached from travel, and he just wanted a good bath and an warm bed to rest in.

"Quit complaining, Kiba," said Ino with a scowl. "Why don't you do something useful with your free time instead of complaining about being bored?"

"Oh, shut up, Ino. You're just as bored as I am. I've been watching you flutter all about the room trying to gossip with everyone. You only do that when you're bored," said Kiba, peeking an eye open and scowling right back at her.

"I'm not gossiping, I'm trying to learn more about my team members. At least I'm trying to be productive with my time — unlike some of us who only want to kick back with their feet on the table and complain," said Ino, voice starting to raise.

"I'm trying to relax and conserve my energy," shouted Kiba, glaring at her.

"Guys! Cool it," said TenTen, glaring at each of them disapproving while standing in between them. At the same time that TenTen had moved to do this, Lee had moved to stand beside Kiba and put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"You guys are arguing like an old married couple," snickered Kurotsuchi, who had turned from her conversation with Chouji and Karui to watch the two. Chouji was watching them uncomfortably, wondering if he needed to step in and say something to Ino. Karui was watching them both with a smirk.

"Y-you're not helping, Kurot," said Chojuro, leaning in and whispering loudly in her ear. She sighed, waved at him dismissively and turned back to her conversation with Chouji and Karui.

Huh, Kurot? What's up with that, thought Ino, looking at the two of them with a raised eyebrow for a moment before being drawn back into her conversation with the others.

Tension eased between Kiba and Ino, like it always did. TenTen said that they usually fought like cats and dogs, but they never lasted long thankfully. They soon started talking to one another civilly, but after a while even Ino began to complain about the amount of time their team leaders were taking.

However, Ino kept glancing over at Chojuro and Kurotsuchi periodically, as the two of them talked to one another and Karui, Chouji, Omoi, Misuno and Akatsuchi. She noticed the way that Kurotsuchi looked at Misuno when she spoke, as rarely as it was. She seemed to tense and her jaw clenched, but her expression remained normal — you would've had to be paying close attention to notice anything going on. Ino couldn't place what that was. And she looked at Chojuro when Misuno spoke, and noticed the way he never made eye contact with her, he constantly blushed, and he kept his answers to her questions short. But when Kurotsuchi spoke, he watched her intently with dark eyes, and seemed to have much to say to her. Ino had a theory about this, but she wasn't quite sure what this was either.

Suddenly, the door to the conference room opened abruptly and their team leaders, Police Chief Hiroki and a strange man walked in.

"Sorry for the wait, everyone," said Temari.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed, and leaned onto the table. "The plans are as follows:" he said.

"We will have three separate meetings with each clan. All meetings will be coordinated by Police Chief Hiroki. Not everyone will be able to attend the meetings as we can only have a limited number of guests per visit. I've made each team as balanced with skills and abilities as I could.

The first meeting will be a visit to Dokusuto. Naruto, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Omoi, Karui, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, and myself will attend this meeting — along with Police Chief Hiroki. We will approach cautiously, and ask if he is willing to meet with Dokusuto and Goro in a join meeting. If not, we will ask for a joint meeting of Dokusuto next, then approach a full meeting after that. The purpose of this is to set a stage for us to help move negotiations along.

The next meeting will be Masanori. We hope to bring him an invitation to a meeting with Masanori. Everyone will attend this meeting. I have already been told that we will not be welcome with open arms during this meeting. They are a fearsome clan known for their intimidation tactics and genjutsu. We will surely experience some of that when we arrive, so I need our genjutsu release team to be prepared in case you are needed.

Then, the next meeting will be with Goro. The team leaders will primarily handle this meeting, but I may call Chouji, Karui, Lee and TenTen in for assistance due to your expertise. Chouji, it is imperative that we get a sample of one of those food pills and analyze it. Ino, you will need to work with Chouji to analyze the sample along with the police force.

Any questions so far?"

Taking their head nods as his sign to continue, Shikamaru passed each of them a map of the village and a pass.

"This pass will allow you to walk about the village as a checked-in visitor, but I have already been told that it's not a guarantee of your safety. You must still come and go from the hotel or police station as a group or with a police officer assigned by the Police Chief or your team leaders," said Shikamaru.

"We are hoping to meet with Goro tomorrow to stop these village visitor killings while you are meeting with Dokusuto," said Commander Omaku, who was the mysterious man newly introduced to the team.

"Until then, we advise you to use caution and sound judgement when going about the village on your own," said Police Chief Hiroki.

"Any questions," asked Shikamaru again.

With several nods indicating no, he dismissed he team, telling them that they were heading to the hotel next.


	18. Target Practice and Dinner

The walk from the Police Station to the hotel was short but wet. Rain poured and water splashed on the sidewalk as villagers walked quickly passed the team.

 

They arrived at the hotel and filed into the lobby. The Police Chief accompanied them, and walked with Shikamaru and Temari up to the front desk to check everyone in.

 

“They will be staying for an extended period of time, on our tab,” said the Police Chief, smiling at the hotel clerk fondly. She smiled back, blushing, and passed him a document to sign before he nodded to Shikamaru and Temari and left.

 

Shikamaru and Temari finished with the clerk and brought over the room keys and a stack of papers.

 

Shikamaru passed out room rosters while Temari passed out the keys. “Alright, we have a floor to ourselves, and all rooms are adjoining. Here are your room keys and a list of the rooms everyone will be staying in. They said there is a lounge at the end of the hall which we will use for our meeting space, and they gave us access to basement for training and practice.”

 

Everyone took a paper and key, and there was silence around the room as everyone looked at their sheet to figure out where they would be staying and who they would be staying with.

 

“Looks like it's you and me, Naruto,” said Lee, excitedly. “We will share a bed and tell ghost stories all night to reignite our youth!”

 

Naruto scowled and looked at Shikamaru, who shrugged and tried to hide a snicker. Others around them snickered quietly. Shikamaru turned to Lee and said, “uh, sorry, Lee. Your room has two full beds.”

 

“No matter! I will hop into Naruto’s bed and share it with him all night. A full size bed is big enough to fit the two of us,” said Lee with a good guy grin, wink and thumbs up. TenTen pinched her nose bridge in embarrassment while the others began to laugh louder.

 

“Bushy-brow, if you so much as lay a finger in my bed, I'll shave off your eyebrows and change that bowl haircut of yours into a plate,” said Naruto with a growl, beginning to walk toward the elevator angrily.

 

“My hair? A plate? What,” said Lee, looking confused as he followed behind Naruto.

 

“Um, Shikamaru, I have a question,” said Omoi, looking at the roster anxiously.

 

“What is it,” said Shikamaru, turning to face him.

 

“Why did you put me with Karui,” said Omoi, frowning slightly.

 

“We figured you both would be the most familiar with one another, and would have experience sleeping with one another,” said Temari, peering over Shikamaru’s shoulder.

 

“I don't know about that. There's another person who likely is more familiar with sleeping with Karui—”

 

Before he could finish, Karui pulled him in a choke hold and grabbed him by the mouth, whispering in his ear, “finish that sentence and I'll use you for target practice in my room.”

 

Omoi mumbled against her hand and started sweating, looking up at her pleadingly.

 

“Promise to hold your tongue,” asked Karui, glaring at him.

 

He nodded quickly, trying to get out of her grip, which seemed to be tightening.

 

“Good.” She released him, and he exhaled loudly, groaning and scowling at her. She moved to stand beside Chouji, who looked at her nervously.

 

“I don't know how you stand that woman, Chouji. She's crazy—”

 

Before he could finish, Karui was on him again, and his eyes widened in terror as she whispered dangerously, “what did I say? Come on. Time for some practice.”

 

She started dragging him away toward he elevator, and despite his protests and pleading eyes at everyone, no one moved to help him. Chouji looked at Shikamaru nervously, and Shikamaru just sighed and shook his head.

 

“Come on, everyone. Let's head to our rooms.” He glanced at his watch for a moment then said, “We’ll meet down here for dinner at 6:00. That should give everyone enough of a chance to get refreshed and settled in.”

 

——-

 

“Why is Shikamaru and Sai sharing a room, whispered Ino to Temari as they walked down the hall toward their room.

 

“Why do you think,” she hissed, not wanting to discuss this in the open. She opened the door to their shared room and let herself and Ino in, closing it quickly.

 

“Look, Ino,” said Temari sternly. You are one of very, very, very few people who know about Shikamaru and I. We do not want our relationship public right now. Especially since we haven't talked with the Suna council about it yet.”

 

Ino considered Temari for a moment, then said, “why haven't you talked to the council yet? Haven't you two been dating for a while?”

 

“It hasn't been that long,” said Temari with a dismissive shrug.

 

“Long enough that you two have been sleeping together, even if it's privately,” said Ino, looking at Temari skeptically. “What is the hold-up? Are you afraid to present Shikamaru to the council?”

 

Temari’s eyes widened, and she looked off to the left uncomfortably. “No, that's…that's not—”

 

“That's it, isn't it,” said Ino, frowning. “What are you so afraid of?”

 

“I'm not afraid of anything,” said Temari, defiantly glaring down at Ino.

 

“Well, something is bothering you. Otherwise, you would've brought him before the council by now,” said Ino, trailing off and moving to put her bags down by the bed. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door with a loud click.

 

Temari sighed and shook her head, and placed her bag by the door. She sat down on the king sized bed, and looked at herself in the dresser mirror.

 

Why haven't I introduced him yet, she thought, what am I waiting for? I know I'm not afraid of anything. I know he can handle himself well in front of them. But what is it?

 

———-

 

6:00 rolled around, and the team met in the lobby and headed out in search of dinner.

 

“Police Chief Hiroki suggested that we check out The Market for dinner. It's the village’s center square and market place where they have a lot of food vendors. You’ll be in your element, eh, Chouji,” said Shikamaru, peering over his shoulder and grinning at him.

 

“Y-yeah. Looking forward to it,” said Chouji, smiling sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

 

Shikamaru regarded him curiously before he was pulled by Temari into conversation.

 

———-

 

They arrived at the market and split off into small groups to visit various vendors. Having grabbed their food, they met back at a large table near the edge of the market and began eating, chatting loudly over the noisy crowd.

 

Shikamaru was talking with Temari when Chouji caught his eye. He had barely touched his food, and seemed to be in deep, distracted conversation with Karui. That's strange…since when does Chouji not eat a meal placed in front of him, thought Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked over a Ino, who was apparently noticing the same thing he was noticing. They glanced at each other wearily, then Shikamaru decided to make a move.

 

“Hey, Chouji,” said Shikamaru. Chouji looked over at him curiously. “No hungry over there, buddy?”

 

“N-nah, I'm good. I'm full,” said Chouji, looking at him earnestly.

 

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him. “You, uh…you sure,” said Shikamaru, eyeing him skeptically.

 

“Yeah, I'm sure,” said Chouji, smiling at him fully, then turning back to his conversation with Karui.

 

Shikamaru looked at Ino skeptically, and she looked at Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow. They’ll have to ask him more about this later.

 

“GAH, this ramen has like zero flavor,” said Naruto, facing screwing up in disgust. “Shikamaru, pass the sa—”

 

But before he could finish, they heard a loud boom from the other side of The Market, and loud screaming.

 

“NARUTO,” shouted Shikamaru over the confusion, “send some clones and see what's going on!”

 

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

 

Three glowing Naruto clones appeared from smoke and ran toward the larger dust cloud that was forming on the other end of The Market.

 

Naruto Clone 1 shouted, “I’ll take the center,” he pointed at the clone on his left and said, “you take the left and,” he pointed to the clone on his right, “you take the right. Help whoever you can but give a shout to let us know what's going on.”

 

“Right,” the other two clones shouted in unison, going off in their respective directions.

 

Naruto Clone 1 headed toward the center, covering his mouth protectively, and searched the smoke for any signs of trouble. What he saw was shocking.

 

Three of the vendor booths had been completely incinerated, and there were people around the vendors either running from the screen covered in blood or trapped under the debris trying to get out.

 

Naruto Clone 1 heard a should from the direction of the clone on the right, saying that there were more people trapped under debris, and that he was going to start getting them out. But he had not heard anything from the clone on the left yet, which was bothersome.

 

“SHIMAMARU,” he shouted, “WE NEED HELP OVER HERE! AND ONE OF MY CLONES HASN’T SAID ANYTHING YET!”

 

Shikamaru appeared beside Naruto Clone 1 and said, “That's because he’s gone, Naruto. Something's wrong. The real you is heading over toward him now. We’ll start working on this; help us.”

 

Naruto Clone 1 nodded, and pointed toward the debris. “We should help them first. We need medic ninja.”

 

“That's what we're here for, Naruto,” said Ino annoyedly as she jumped passed him with Hinata in tow. Hinata’s Byakugan was activated and she turned her head abruptly, shouting “Chouji, move that large slab of concrete — there are 5 civilians under that and 3 are still alive!”

 

“Who could have done this,” Temari asked Shikamaru as the both moved to help people out of the rubble or carried people to stretches coming in from the hospital.

 

“I don't know. But those stands belong to Goro, according to the map Police Chief Hiroki gave me,” said Shikamaru, frowning.

 

Suddenly, the Naruto Clone 1 gasped as if he couldn't breath and clutched his chest in pain, then disappeared.

 

Hinata’s head turned in his direction immediately. “Naruto-kun,” she shouted, and then immediately looked in the direction where his real body should be and seemed to narrow her eyes slightly.

 

She gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. “Shikamaru,” she shouted, “we need to help him right away! He's in big trouble!”

 

“What do you see, Hinata,” shouted Shikamaru, panicking.

 

“Water, tons of water. He looks like he's drowning,” she shouted, beginning to raise and move in Naruto’s direction.

 

“Wait, Hinata!”

 


	19. Naruto Uzumaki Must Die

"DON'T WORRY, WE'LL GET YOU OUT," Naruto shouted to a woman and two children who were trapped under a collapsed wooden awning. He could hear their desperate screaming and it only motivated him to move quicker.

He grunted as he lifted the awning and shouted for them to get out while his newly summoned clone ran under to grab one of the children who couldn't move due to a broken leg.

They escaped successfully, and he dropped the awning with a loud grunt.

He turned to move to another group of people trapped when something alarming caught his eye. A giant wall of water was heading his way — and quickly. He glanced around for a way to escape, but couldn't find a way in time. The wall of water hit him with a powerful slap, knocking the air out of him and filling his lungs. He opened his eyes and tried to swim or find the service so that he could grab a breath of fresh air, but he was whirled around in disorienting circles and seemed to be pulled down further into the water the more he struggled.

He felt his clones disappeared, and he tried to figure out what to do but he was having a hard time thinking.

Suddenly, be heard something.

_Naruto…Uzumaki…_

A wispy sounding female voice called his name, and he looked around for the speaker, but saw no one.

_Naruto…Uzumaki…you and your demon are not welcome here…you are too dangerous…you must die…_

_No_ , he thought, _you won't kill me with your little wave…_

But he felt himself being pulled more and more under water, despite his resistance. Water seemed to be filling his lungs, even though he was holding his breath.

 _What…what jutsu is this_ , he thought. He felt himself beginning to lose consciousness.

All he got in return was a breathy laugh.

* * *

"Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, NOW," shouted Shikamaru.

"EARTH RELEASE: PROTECTIVE ROCK WALL," they shouted in unison, running to the edge of the wave and slamming their hands on the ground.

The rest of the team had arrived on the scene, and made their way to Naruto and the villagers who were trapped under water.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi were creating a wall trying to block off the rushing water that was flooding into The Market.

The rest of the team rushed in to start moving more debris.

"Shikamaru," shouted Hinata, who was using her byakugan to look in the direction where the large wave came from, "a large group of people are coming this way! They all have their chakra activated!"

"What are they doing, Hinata," asked Shikamaru.

"They've stopped and now they're making hand signs," shouted Hinata, voice in a panic. "Looks like a water style jutsu!"

"Brace yourself, everyone. Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, get ready," shouted Shikamaru. Both nodded and moved onto all fours, ready to release an earth style jutsu.

"Karui, Omoi," shouted Shikamaru. "Head over to where the attackers are and see what's going on! Do not engage unless they engage with you first! We'll send Temari and the others to back you up shortly!"

"Okay, Shikamaru," shouted Karui, pulling a nervous looking Omoi with her by the collar.

"How is Naruto, Ino," shouted Shikamaru.

"He seemed to be unconscious. It's some jutsu," said Ino, looking exasperated.

"Genjutsu," asked Shikamaru, walking over toward her.

"It sort of seems like it, but it's not dispelling when I try to release it. I may need to try some other methods," said Ino. "But the quickest thing we could do is take out the cast."

He nodded at her, and turned to Hinata. "Hinata, any updates?"

"They're almost there, Shikamaru. The jutsu casters stopped their jutsu, but…"

"But what," asked Shikamaru.

"But they're heading toward Karui and the others now, and amassing a huge amount of chakra," said Hinata gravely.

* * *

_Naruto…Uzumaki…_

_You are not wanted here…_

_You are dangerous…_

_You and that demon…_

_Inside you…_

_You must die…_

_Now…die…_

* * *

Naruto was floating in what seemed like water, and when he tried to move or breath his body wouldn't respond. He shifted his eyes back and forth to take in his surroundings. Everything was dark, pitch black and he could hear the rushing sound of waves.

And he could have sworn he just heard…

_Naruto…Uzumaki…why aren't you dead? Why won't you die?_

_It takes a lot to kill me_ , he thought.

_Naruto…Uzumaki…why are you in my village?_

_Your village_ , thought Naruto.

_Yes…this village belongs to my clan…_

_Your clan? And which clan is that_ , thought Naruto

There was silence for a long time.

"—ruto, Naruto, NARUTO, NARUTO," he heard Ino shouting in his mind, but her voice was hazy sounding and he couldn't respond or figure out where it was coming from exactly.

 _Is this genjutsu_ , he thought.

 _Yes_ , said the wispy female voice again.

 _Are you from the Masanori Clan? Why are you doing this,_ thought Naruto.

 _I am not from that clan_ , said the voice with an air of spitefulness.

 _Then who are you_ , shouted Naruto in his thoughts.

 _You will find out soon enough, Naruto Uzumaki,_ said the voice.

—-


	20. Dokusuto Fighters

"Omoi, do you see them," whispered Karui, eyes narrowed slightly in concentration, "because I can sense about 8, but I believe there are more."

She had her back to him, and was facing away checking behind them to be sure no one snuck up on them.

They were hiding behind a building, staking out the situation. They had received message from Shikamaru saying that Kurotsuchi and two others were on their way, and to sit tight. So now, they were waiting and trying to assess the situation.

"I only count 6 people," whispered Omoi, brow beginning to glisten with sweat. "I can't see anyone else." And, there are too many potential hiding places, Omoi thought nervously, eyes scanning over each of the buildings at the balconies, windows, and dark alleys and corners between buildings.

"What are they doing," whispered Karui, leaning into Omoi slightly.

"Some seem to be checking the area — maybe they sense us, too," said Omoi, nervously. "There are two talking to one another, but I can't read their lips. And there is one…"

He paused, and she turned to look at him with a brow raised in question. "There is one…doing what," she whispered.

"He's…he's looking in our direction," hissed Omoi, tensing.

"Temari," said Hinata, "I can see them just up ahead. But there are others moving toward them quickly. They appear to be moving in to attack."

Temari, Hinata and Kurotsuchi picked up their pace as they headed in the direction of Karui and Omoi.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of rushing water and a loud scream from a woman.

"Omoi, I've got her — put her on your back and climb up to that balcony," shouted Karui. She was holding on to a screaming young woman who had gotten caught in a jutsu released by whoever was attacking them. Karui reached out to grab her before she was sucked into a building's collapsed storefront window — and would've possibly drowned.

Omoi grunted as he shifted the women onto his back and climbed up the fire escape one handed to set her on the balcony.

"You must get away from here," he said, not unkindly but firmly. "It is not safe. If you see others, tell them to leave."

She nodded, eyes wide in terror and ran into the building shouting for others to evacuate.

Karui had already pulled herself up onto the balcony as well, and they both turned to look in the direction of the attackers.

They saw a large water dragon coming in their direction, knocking hard against the buildings and the ground. They grabbed the rail of the balcony and braced for impact, sucking in air.

Suddenly they saw a large wall of earth form in front of them, and they heard the dragon blast up against the wall — but no water reaches them. They looked down, and saw Kurotsuchi, breathing hard and smiling widely.

Temari looked up at them and shouted, "Omoi, Karui. Are you alright?!"

"Yes," shouts Karui, smiling widely at Temari. "Great timing, Kurot!"

"I thought I was going to die," mumbled Omoi, collapsing on his knees looking down at them.

"Oh, don't be so overly dramatic," said Karui, frowning at him.

"Guys," said Hinata, staring through the wall Kurotsuchi had created.

"What, you thought you were going to die, too," said Omoi, looking up at her with a scowl.

"Hey, guys," said Hinata, a little louder.

"I did not. I had confidence in my teammates. I knew they were coming," said Karui, smirking, closing her eyes and crossing her arms confidently. A small bead of sweat appeared in the corner of her brow.

"No, you didn't. You were panicking just as much as I was. I saw you bracing yourself for the—"

"GUYS," said Temari, loudly, looking up at them angrily. They both got quiet and looked down at the others.

"What is it, Hinata," said Temari, walking up beside her.

"They're…they're retreating," she said, brow furrowed.

"Retreating," said Temari, questioningly.

"Yes, most of them are leaving. Except for a few, who are walking toward us."

"Do they seem threatening," asked Temari, reaching behind her back to undo her tessen.

"N-no. They're just…walking. They're not amassing chakra. Except for one, who seems to be…Wait. That's the same chakra I saw inside Naruto," she said, eyes widening.

"Do you think they're the one who put him under the genjutsu," asked Temari.

"Yes, I think so," said Hinata, eyes narrowing slightly, expression darkening.

"Alright. Get ready, everyone. They may be coming to talk, but it could be a trap. Kurotsuchi…be ready to lower the wall," said Temari.

"Please, lower your wall. We would like to talk with you," said a loud, but wispy female voice.

"She is the one," whispered Hinata to Temari, eyes looking forward hard.

"And how do I know I can trust you," shouted Temari.

"I know you, and especially Miss Hyuuga, would like to save Naruto Uzumaki. Let's talk and I'll help you with him. I just want to know what you're doing in my village," said the voice. "But you can trust me. I am not your enemy."

The team's eyes widened, and Temari and Hinata looked at one another.

"If you are not my enemy than why did you attack us," said Temari, eyes narrowing.

"Because we do not know who you are, and why you are here. We acted out of defense for our village," said the voice.

Kurotsuchi looked at Temari and scowled, shaking her head in disbelief. Temari shook her head in agreement. Temari looked around at the others who all nodded that they understood the situation.

"Alright, lower the wall," she said, looking at Kurotsuchi hard. Everyone moved into a battle-ready position.

As the wall lowered, 6 people were revealed — three men, and three women. There was one women standing in front of the group who seemed to be their leader. She had grey hair, dark black eyes and pale skin. The others had blue eyes, dark hair and tan skin. They were all looking at the group with smirks on their face.

"My, my, Miss Temari. I thought we were about to have a peaceful talk, not an all-out battle," said the leader, who let out a breathy laugh.

"There's nothing wrong with being careful," said Temari, moving out of her battle stance. She nodded to the others, who also did the same reluctantly.

"I understand, fully," said the women, smirk softening to a smile. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"Before I tell you that, if you don't mind me asking, how do you know our names, and who are you," said Temari, leaning on her tessen casually.

The women tilted her head slightly, then narrowed her eyes before saying, "forgive me, I'm being rude. My name is Jun. Jun Dokusuto. Those you see around me are the Dokusuto Fighters. And I know you because I know everything that's going on in the village, and I know the people in it."

"Just not why we are here, it seems," said Temari, smiling slightly.

Jun narrowed her eyes at that, but continued, "no, that is something I do not know."

Thinking quickly, and seeing no harm in being honest, Temari said, "We are here to assist your police force with protecting the citizens. They've been having trouble."

Jun stared at Temari for a moment, then looked at the ground. "I see," she said, quietly.

"We were called here by your Police Chief Hiroki," said Temari. "The fighting amongst your clan and the other two clans who want leadership over the village has caused many civilian casualties. We are here to try to prevent those casualties and assist in any way that we can." I think that's as much as I should say for now, thought Temari.

Jun looked up at Temari and shifted her gaze to scan the faces of the other team members. "There are many of you here," she said. She turned her gaze back to Temari, and her eyes narrowed slightly, "including the Kyuubi. Why did you bring the Kyuubi into our village?"

Slightly taken aback by the question, Temari hesitated, but then said, "Naruto Uzumaki is with us because of his abilities as a shinobi — we saw him as an asset to this mission. He has complete control over the Kyuubi. You have nothing to fear."

"Oh, don't I," said Jun, smirking. She turned to Hinata. "Miss Hyuuga, you are from Konoha. Surely you know the dangers of having the Kyuubi in your village, and the devastating effects of a rampage if the Kyuubi gets out of control."

Hinata was staring at Jun hard, byakugan activated, but softened her expression slightly and said "I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. As Temari said, Naruto has complete control over the Kyuubi. We have all," she waved her hand toward the other team members, "witnessed his control and partnership with the Kyuubi ourselves. They are friends, and work together in battle." She looked hard at Jun. "is this why you are holding him under your genjutsu?"

Jun smiled at her innocently. "Perhaps." She turned to look at Temari. "But, I believe you are here for a good reason, Miss Temari. I will let you stay."

The team members narrowed their eyes at this, most of them thinking "who is this person to decide whether or not they stay."

"And I will release Naruto." She held two fingers up in front of her face and closed her eyes, muttering "release." They could feel a wave of chakra around them, but that was all.

"Well, I enjoyed this chat, Miss Temari, Miss Hinata. I hope to see you again soon," said Jun, turning to walk off, waving at them nonchalantly with a smirk on her face.

"Wait a minute, you can't—" started Omoi, as he moved to walk toward Jun and capture her to take to the Police but was held back by Temari, who had a grimace on her face.

"Can't what, Mr…Omoi, right," said Jun, smirking at him. Omoi tensed, exhaling slightly. "Last time I checked, you are not the sherif in town — you cannot restrain me."

She nodded quickly to her companions, and they all jumped away. "Until next time," she said, breathy laugh echoing off of the building walls.

They watched her jump off, and Omoi growled lowly. "Temari," he said, "why did you—"

"She is right, Omoi. It is not our place. Let the police handle that. We just protect the citizens," said Temari, face tight.

There was tense silence among the group for a moment before Hinata spoke up.

"Naruto…Naruto is waking up."

The sound of flowing water rushed in his ears and Naruto shifted in an out of consciousness. He gave up on moving after a while, and focused on trying to release the genjutsu.

But nothing he tried worked. Though, releasing himself from genjutsu wasn't his biggest strength, he had gotten better at it over the years and had learned a trick or two from Sakura. But he couldn't get anything to work.

"Just quit fighting and let your body go," said a wispy female voice in his ear.

He jolted, and looked around quickly, feeling the familiar strain against his body with each turn of his head and body.

But he saw no one. He sighed. "I won't quit," he said. He was surprised that he was able to move his mouth.

"But there is no way out. You are trapped. You are tired. You are on the brink of death," said the voice, moving to his other ear.

He whipped his head around to face the voice, but saw nothing. "I will not quit. I said I won't, and I never go back on my word." He turned and faced forward, smiling slightly. "Because that is my shinobi way."

He heard a faint chuckle, then suddenly, he dropped to the floor and the water sounded as if it was draining away out of large drains, by the gallon. He groaned, standing, and rubbing his arms and neck wearily. And then a light turned on just in front of him, and he looked up quickly.

"You're a strange little fox, Naruto Uzumaki," said a women with grey hair, blue eyes and pale skin, standing in front of him smirking. "And your teammates are just as strange."

"What have you done with my team? Who are you," asked Naruto, running toward her.

She help up a hand and his body froze. She wiggles a finger at him and said, "None of that, little fox. I will answer your questions, but you will stay put."

He scowled at her, looked around as if to find some way to get out of his situation. He tried to summon his Kurama chakra, but he could not. He couldn't feel any of his chakra, which frightened him.

"I am Jun Dokusuto. And I just met your team. I hear you are all here to help keep my people safe," said Jun, smiling at him.

"Dokusuto," asked Naruto, eyes narrowing. He decided to stay still and spend the time looking for a way out.

"Yes. My father is the clan head," said Jun, as she looked off to the side. "I am his eldest child."

"I see," said Naruto, only half listening.

"And my mother is the sister of the Masanori clan head," said Jun, looking at the ground.

That peaked his interest. "Masanori clan," he said, eyebrow raising.

"Yes," she said, looking up at him stoically. Suddenly, she looked up as if alerted to something, then smiled. She looked back at him, and said, "it appears our time is up, Naruto Uzumaki. I will let you go."

He looked at her wide eyed. "What…why," he said.

"Your friends want you back," she said, shrugging nonchalantly. "And they spoke on you behalf regarding the Kyuubi. They said you are not a danger."

Before Naruto could say anything else, she started to walk away from him. "Goodbye, Naruto Uzumaki. I am sure we will meet again."

Suddenly, Naruto's world turned black.


	21. Village Gossip

"Shikamaru, he's coming to," shouted Ino, stopping the green chakra from flowing through her hands into Naruto, who was still laying on a stretcher.

Naruto's eyes opened slowly, as if he were waking up from deep sleep. But suddenly, his eyes opened widely, and he sat up quickly, nearly head-butting Ino in the face. Ino exclaimed in protest and tried to push him back down, saying, "Naruto, be careful! You should take it easy!"

"Where is Shikamaru," he said loudly, looking around rapidly. But then he groaned, grabbing his head and saying, "ah, my head hurts bad…"

"I'll fix that if you just lay back and relax," said Ino, pushing at his shoulders firmly.

"But I need to talk to Shikamaru," said Naruto, turning toward her quickly with an angry look on his face. He groaned again, rubbing at his temples.

"Yes, I heard you. I'll call him over. Just LAY BACK, ALRIGHT," said Ino, pushing him back with surprising force. He collapsed back, eyes wide in shock. "Shikamaru, get over here NOW," shouted Ino over her shoulder, making Naruto flinch at the pain it was causing his head.

"What is it, Ino," said Shikamaru, running toward her but also scowling at her.

"Naruto is insisting on talking to you, and won't relax until he does. It seems important. Talk to him," said Ino, scowling back.

"Shikamaru," said Naruto, peering up at him with one eye open, "I know who put me other the genjutsu. You need to tell the Police Chief."

* * *

"Dokusuto, eh," said the Police Chief, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

Shikamaru and Temari were standing with the Chief at the scene of the attack, telling him about their findings.

"Yes, Naruto spoke with his genjutsu caster while he was under the genjutsu, and Temari and the others actually spoke with Jun in person and confirmed this."

"I see," said the Police Chief, turning to look at the center of the attack location. He had a pained look on his face, but his beyond that his expression and thoughts were relatively unreadable.

"I'll go have a talk with Yori about this. This—" he point to the destruction, "is not his style, and I feel this isn't really his doing. I don't expect him to have had a part in this. But Jun…" He looked away from them and looked toward the damage again. "Jun genuinely cares about the welfare of this village - and I would go as far as to say that she cares about it more than almost anyone else in this village. But to do something like this…"

He looked down and sighed, then looked at Shikamaru and Temari stoically. " This is just conjecture, but she would've had to have been pushed to do so by someone else — most likely, her father. She…well, she values her father's opinion…particularly, his opinion of her person…above all others. She would do anything to please him…and I would not be entirely surprised if this was one of those things."

"That sounds like a bad case of daddy issues to me," said Shikamaru, looked annoyed while Temari threw him an irritated frown.

"Well, you could call it that if you'd like," said the Police Chief with a half smile. "But for Jun, it's much worse than that."

"What do you mean," asked Temari, raising an eyebrow.

"Since her birth, Jun's parentage has always been in question. People have always doubted who her real father is. She has been labeled as a 'love child' and her mother has been shamed as an adulterer. It became a real problem for their family when major clients of their business would longer work with Jun due to her reputation. Her father publicly renounced her as the heir to the clan and company, and placed her aside. He had more children, and now his son, Jiro, his second born child, is the heir.

Jun's mother, Eshima, was the sister of Tsuneo Masanori, whom you know to be the head of the Masanori clan. They were twins. Their father, and Yori's father made a pact to seal their two families together by sending a daughter of their clan to produce children with their respective future clan leaders. These children would have abilities possessed by both clans, and would end years of power struggles and fighting between the two. They believed there would be no problems with their plan because there were already 2 families who had done the same thing, but their children had passed away during clan fights.

But, there have been problems over the years. Masanori and his wife Natsumi Dokusuto have only been able to produce one living child, and the child is considered weak and does not possess the full strength of both powers.

Yori and Eshima have been able to produce children, but none of them have had Masanori abilities. The exception being Jun, but she does not have Dokusuto abilities, even though she tries."

"What do you mean, 'even though she tries,'" asked Shikamaru.

"She uses water style techniques and water tricks in her genjutsu. She truly makes the victim feel like they are being attacked by water style, even though it is all genjutsu," said the Police Chief.

"That explains the drowning sensation Naruto was talking about," said Temari to Shikamaru, who nodded.

"I wonder why Jun doesn't have the same abilities as the rest of her clan," said Shikamaru, looking at the Police Chief.

"Ah, you've asked the million ryo question," said the Police Chief, tilting his head and smiling at him sadly.

"For years, many people speculated that it was because she was female, but then her sister Juri was born, and that idea was scratched because Juri had water style abilities.

Some thought Jun was an mutation or abnormality, and wondered if she would show signs of some sort of disease or sickness. They had doctors check her, and found no issues with her.

But then, interesting gossip emerged from one of the household servants of the Masanori estate. She claimed that Eshima and Tsuneo were in love and had been since they were kids, and that they had an affair around the time that Jun was conceived."

"That sounds like gossip," said Temari, looking at the Police Chief skeptically.

"It does," said the Police Chief, nodding, "But people believed it — especially when they started seeing Tsuneo and Eshima together often. When they saw the way they interacted together. When Yori reacted the way he did about the situation and virtually disowned Jun. They made it believable, unconsciously perhaps." The chief sighed, and removed his glasses and pinched his nose bridge. "They did not handle the situation well if they did not want people to believe the gossip was true."

"What do you believe, Police Chief Hiroki," asked Temari.

The Police Chief frowned at her, then looked at the damages yet again with a pained look on his face.

"I…couldn't say," he said, exhaling softly. He turned back to them quickly and said, "You should go check on your team, and go get some rest for the night. We will handle things here. You've all done well, and I appreciate your help." He half smiled at them, then walked off toward the damage, toward Commander Omaku.


	22. Lavender Bath Water and Making Plans

Night had fallen and the orange of streetlights shined down on them as the team walked quickly back to their hotel.

"I don't understand," said Temari, leaning into Shikamaru and trying to talk over the loud clatter of rainfall on the metal overhangs lining the sidewalk. They were meant to protect pedestrians from the rain, but rain leaked through holes and cracks in the metal, causing everyone who walked under them to get soaked. "I would've thought he would've wanted to make an arrest. Why does he want to go 'talk' to Dokusuto instead of arrest Jun?"

"He likely has his reasons. It might be best for us to stay out of it for now," said Shikamaru, as his lips formed a tight, thin line of discontent. "But we will continue to watch the situation in case we need to get involved — especially if our safety becomes an issue of concern."

"But, Shikamaru…it already has," said Temari, looking at him hard.

He pursed his lips and looked ahead of them, eyes narrowed slightly. "We'll talk about this more inside. We're already at the hotel."

They arrived at the hotel, and they walked in sighing — glad to be out of the cold, wetness of the outside.

"I'm ready for a warm bath," said TenTen, rubbing her arms and shivering slightly.

"I second that," said Kiba, accompanied by a bark from Akamaru.

"Let's get showered and meet in the sitting area at the end of our hall," said Shikamaru to the team. "We have a lot to discuss."

* * *

 

"Ahhh, that's the stuff," said TenTen, letting her body slide into the large tub in the middle of the women's baths. Lavender scented steamy hot water came up just below her chin as she sighed contently, closed her eyes and let her muscles relax.

"It's no hot spring, but it's still pretty nice," said Temari, resting her back against the side of the tub, arms stretched out on the edge of the tub.

Karui smiled and hummed in agreement. She had her back to the others and was resting her head on her arms, which were laying crossed on the edge of the tub. She was facing a wall, and was staring at it with cloudy, unfocused eyes.

Kurotsuchi sat on the edge of the tub, still wrapped in her towel with her feet dangling in the water slinging back and forth slowly. Her face was scrunching up in discontent, and she was staring off into space, lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Kurot," asked Temari as she peered over at her with an eyebrow raised slightly.

"Hmm?" She was surprised that someone noticed her. "Oh. Well, I was just thinking that…It's nice and all, but I'm not a huge fan of lavender," she said, starting to lift her legs out of the water. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks, and it was infuriating.

Temari turned to look at the wall and pointed to the shelf where the hotel had towels, shower shoes, toiletries and bottles of oils for the bath. "We could add a different scent if you want, Kurot, but I don't think any of us want to drain the water. Maybe we could add a scent that would mesh well with lavender?"

"Nah, thanks anyway, but I think I'm just going to head to the showers. Baths aren't really my thing anyway," she said, raising to her feet and walking toward the shower stalls rather quicker than she knew she should have.

"Suit yourself," muttered Temari, closing her eyes, smiling contently and sinking her body lower into the water.

When Kurotsuchi reached the showers, she was greeted by Ino and Hinata, who were wrapping themselves in towels having just finished showering themselves.

"We were getting ready to walk over to the others. Are they leaving," asked Ino.

"Not any time soon. They're likely to prune up before that happens," said Kurotsuchi with a smirk. "I just left to take a shower."

"Oh, was there something wrong with the bath," asked Hinata, pulling the towel up tighter to herself.

"No, it's fine. It just smells heavily of lavender and I don't really like it," said Kurotsuchi, shrugging and not looking either in the eye.

"Oh, alright," said Ino, turning to walk toward the bath. "Coming, Hinata?"

"Yes," she said. She looked at Kurotsuchi and smiled before walking behind Ino.

Suddenly, Misuno rounded the corner — she was just then walking into the baths. Her eyes met Kurotsuchi's, and the corner of her mouth moved slightly — a smile, I guess, thought Kurotsuchi bitterly — and she turned away to grab a towel and start the process of removing her clothes. Kurotsuchi turned away quickly and moved to a stall as far away from Misuno as possible.

Kurotsuchi thought of herself as a relatively civil person. She felt like she could make friends relatively easily if she tried hard enough — or at the very least, she felt like she could hold a conversation with someone.

But Misuno made things very difficult. She seemed to have little to say — at least, to Kurotsuchi — and had very little personality. She was cold, and expressionless and distant from everyone…except for maybe Chojuro.

Kurotsuchi tried to be friends with her, but she just couldn't. Misuno seemed to be resistant to this.

And, to make matters worse, every time Misuno spoke with Chojuro, Kurotsuchi felt a sharp, burning pain in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't identify.

Kurotsuchi sighed, and undid her towel to set it on a hook outside of the shower stall. She opened the curtain and stepped inside.

"I highly doubt that Shikamaru could do that, Temari," said Ino, looking at her with a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"Hey…you guys," muttered Karui, lifting up from her position and moving closer to the wall, eyes searching left to right and face screwed up in concentration.

"I swear to you, he did. And with shadow stitching, too—

"WHAT? No way! First off, that would require a massive amount of chakra and stamina that he doesn't have. Second, he's smart, but he's not creative or romantic enough to—

"HEY…hey, guys. Quiet down. Listen…" Karui furrowed her brow and leaned closer to the wall, sticking her right ear almost flush against the stone.

"What is it, Karui," asked a blushing Hinata, glad to be rid of that awkward conversation.

"I can hear the guys. They must be in that meeting room talking. And I just heard my name…and your name, TenTen," said Karui, leaning out of the tub slightly to stick her ear up against the wall.

"My name? What for," asked TenTen, opening her eyes and lifting her head up from off of the edge of the tub. She hadn't really been paying attention to the conversation and had been laying back with her eye closed relaxing.

"I don't know. I'm trying to listen," said Karui, her face screwing up in concentration.

"Should we be listening to this, guys," asked Hinata, glancing over at Temari and Ino nervously.

"Yes, yes we should," said Ino excitedly, sloshing over to Karui's side of the tub.

"Idk, Ino, maybe Hinata is right," said Temari skeptically.

"But, I hear Kankuro saying something about you, Temari," said Ino, ear to the wall, eyes innocent.

"What," said Temari loudly, looking at Ino hard, "What is he saying?"

"He's talking about…you and Shikamaru in the bedroom," said Ino, wide eyed.

"He's WHAT? I'll MURDER him," said Temari, walking over toward the walk quickly and moving her head against the wall, eyes burning with anger. Ino grinned triumphantly, but stopped quickly before Temari could see her.

TenTen looked at Hinata, and motioned toward to wall as if it say, "might as well." Hinata sighed and walked over to sit on the edge of the tub near the others. She was curious about what was being said, but she honestly wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Private conversations should be private, or so she thought. Until she heard Naruto's voice.

"Yeah, it seems like everyone is getting together. There's very few of us left who isn't interested in someone or dating someone," he said.

"And just who are you interested in, Naruto," said Kiba. Hinata could hear the notes of amusement in his voice. She blushed slightly, but couldn't help but lean closer to the wall. She even activated her byakugan —she wanted to hear what he said and see his reaction to that question.

"He probably still has a thing for Sakura," said Chouji, snickering.

"Nah, I don't. She loves Sasuke and…well, I'm pretty sure he loves her back," said Naruto, waving a hand dismissively and grinning.

"Pretty sure," said Kiba, questioningly. "You don't seem confident."

"Well, this is Sasuke we are talking about," said Naruto, chuckling lightly.

They could hear chuckling around the room before Kiba asked again, "so, who do you like, Naruto? Who is the lucky lady? Because word on the street is that you've turned several ladies down because you like someone else."

Hinata focused on Naruto. He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly for just a moment too long for her liking. She bit her lip.

"Well…not Sakura, obviously. But I bet Bushy-Brows still has a crush on her."

Naruto… thought Hinata irritably. She clinched her fist slightly in frustration.

"Wh-what," Lee stammered. Hinata noticed movement in the corner of her eye and glance at TenTen, who was pushing her ear closer to the wall and narrowing her eyes slightly.

"You used to say that you loved Sakura, and that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. I bet you still feel that way, don't you, Bushy-Brow," said Naruto.

"W-well…Sakura is a very beautiful woman, but—"

"You used to shout from the rooftops that you would do anything for her. Fight for her honor and all of that stuff."

"I would still fight for her, b—"

"Ah, so I was right," said Naruto with a grin. "But you weren't the only one who had a thing for Sakura. There was one other person…"

TenTen pulled back from the wall and frowned slightly staring hard at the wall. She didn't care to hear any more, and ignored the rest.

Hinata stared at her, byakugan still activated. She could see heat building in region where TenTen's stomach was, and saw TenTen's frown deepen as the heat began to increase.

"TenTen, are you alright," said Hinata quietly, deactivating her byakugan. She looked at her friend with concern.

TenTen looked at her and lowered her frown into a flat line, and raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Oh, yeah, Hinata. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that…um…Lee…well…it seemed like what he said made you angry," Hinata looked at her friend nervously, but TenTen was already shaking her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just didn't want to hear any more about his private life. It's really none of my business, you know," said TenTen with a forced smile. She turned away from Hinata and looked at the clock on the wall. "Hmm. It's about 9:00. I think I'm going to get out and get dressed to go meet with the others."

Before Hinata could say another word, TenTen was already sloshing out of the tub, wrapping herself quickly in her towel and walking quickly to the changing area. Hinata frowned slightly as she watched her friend walk away.

"Well, what about you, Kiba," said Naruto loudly, "you keep picking on me, but we haven't heard you mention anyone that you like."

"I've got plenty of chicks who I see on the regular, Naruto, but I'm just not ready to settle down," said Kiba nonchalantly.

Hinata didn't need her byakugan to know that Shino was looking at Kiba doubtfully. Even Hinata knew that Kiba wasn't dating anyone, and didn't spend any time with any women. He seemed to take his training, his missions and his "dream" of becoming Hokage too seriously to have time for that. And apparently, others didn't believe him, either. Ino and Temari chuckled lightly, and she heard Kankuro, Chouji and Shikamaru chuckle as well.

"Hey, what's so funny," said Kiba loudly. Hinata sighed. Oh, how Hinata wished they wouldn't tease him so much.

* * *

 

The guys were all sitting around the room either on the floor, the chairs or the couches. They left places open on chairs for the girls, but they were starting to wonder if they should have done so.

"Man, those girls are taking forever. Anyway. Hey, guys, how about a game," asked Kiba.

"A game," asked Shikamaru, skeptically. "This doesn't involve anything dangerous or drinking does it?"

"No, no. This one isn't that fun. This one is just to pass the time. How about we play 'never have I ever,' eh," said Kiba, fanged grin blaring.

There was a mixture of responses around the room.

"I don't know," said Omoi, skeptically.

Chojuro scratched at his cheek nervously and said "Y-yeah, I'm not s-sure if I feel comfortable—"

"Oh, don't be such wimps, guys, it'll be fun," said Kankuro, grinning at Kiba. "I'm in. Come on, guys. Let's do it." He looked at Shikamaru and smiled excitedly, and said, "It will be a team bonding activity!"

Shikamaru lowered his head, pinched his nose bridge and sighed. He knew he shouldn't agree to this. He could sense that this was a bad idea. And, to make matters worse, suddenly — "we'll join," said a deep, familiar female voice that sent shivers down his spine. Oh, no, he thought. He looked up and saw Temari, Ino, Karui, Kurotsuchi, Hinata, TenTen, and Misuno at the door. He groaned.

"Oh, don't be that way, Shikamaru. Let's have our meeting then we can play," said Temari, grinning deviously. Something stirred in the pit of Shikamaru's stomach. He felt like something bad was going to happen.

"You know I can't agree to this, Temari," he said, looking at her irritably.

"I think majority rules, in this case, Shikamaru," she said, looking around the room at the smiles and ignoring the nervous frowns, "and, in case you've forgotten, there are two leaders of this group." She looked him in the eye as if she was inviting him to challenge her.

He scowled angrily, then shook his head and turned away to look at the center of the group as he crossed his arms.

"Whiiiiiiiiipppppeeeddddd," whispered Kiba under his breath to Shino next to him.

The ladies walked in and took their seats. Ino sat beside Sai and smiled at him widely. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, to which she laughed and blushed in reply.

Karui sat between Omoi and Chouji on the couch. She leaned in a little closer to Chouji, and her leg rested against his. He bit his lip to keep from smiling, and stared hard at the center of the group.

TenTen sat next to Shino, on the floor, much to Lee's surprise. He had saved a spot for her next to himself, but she had chosen to sit in a spot directly across from him. He almost said something, but decided not to draw any attention to it. He looked at TenTen and tried to catch her eye, but she seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. Hinata saw this and pursed her lips, but kept it all to herself for now.

Hinata sat next TenTen, which was right across from Naruto. He looked at her and smiled warmly and waving with a hidden hand next to his leg. She blushed slightly before returning the smile and turning to look around at the rest of the group.

Kurotsuchi and Misuno stared at one another and hesitated at a spot next to Chojuro. Realizing that everyone was seated but them and possibly staring, Kurotsuchi quickly remembered herself and walked over to sit in a chair next to Akatsuchi — avoiding Chojuro's stare. Misuno leaned in to say something to him, and only then did he stop looking at Kurotsuchi to look at her and listen.

"So, let's talk about what happened today, and what we should expect to happen tomorrow," said Shikamaru with a long sigh. Temari had taken a spot between him and Kankuro, on one of the large couches. When she sat down, her hand brushed his shoulder slightly, but she made sure that when she sat next to him she left a gap of space between them for appearances.

"I heard that that Jun girl wasn't going to get arrested. Is that true, Shikamaru," asked Karui, looking at Shikamaru sternly.

"I don't know that for sure, Karui. We were told that Police Chief Hiroki would be going to talk with the clan head about the situation. It is up to him to decide what needs to be done…what is the just thing to be done for his village," said Shikamaru.

"But what about the fact that she attacked us," said Kurotsuchi, "what did the Police Chief have to say about that?"

Shikamaru paused and glanced at Temari. She raised an eyebrow at him as if to say, "what did I tell you?"

"He will bring all of this up before Dokusuto. As I said, we are going to let the Village handle this." He noticed mouths open around the circle in protest, and before anyone could speak he said loudly, "let us not forget who we are and what we represent. What our mission is. We do not interfere. Our focus is on the safety of the citizens, and we have done our part. But these matters are not of the concern of the Shinobi Union."

Temari stared at him for a moment, then looked down at her lap and furrowed her brow. She knew he was right. She had forgotten about that — and she felt a little ashamed of herself for forgetting.

There was silence around the room as others seemed to be absorbing the information. Shikamaru looked around, searching their faces for more questions. For more protests. For more arguments.

But he found none. Several people looked up at him, and nodded in affirmation.

So he continued.

"Tomorrow, we will have a meeting with Masanori. Naruto, Hinata, Shino, Omoi Kurotsuchi and myself will go to this meeting with the Police Chief. We are only allowed to bring a certain number of attendees. The others will stay at the hotel until we return. The meeting should only last a few hours in the morning.

When we return, we will plan to try and schedule a meeting with Goro."

"'Try and schedule a meeting?' What do you mean," asked Kankuro.

"Meeting with Goro won't be an easy task. We have to request a meeting in advance, and hope that we get approved," said Temari, looking at Shikamaru with a frown. He peered at her, and frowned slightly. "We will go to his restaurant and speak with his assistant."

"'Hope?' Wait a minute. Are you saying there's a chance we won't get seen," asked Chouji, looking at Temari with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes. We have to set this up on our own," said Shikamaru, leaning forward onto his knees, resting his head on his hand.

"And why do we have to set this up? Why isn't the Police Chief helping us with that, too," asked Kurotsuchi.

"Sh-Shikamaru, I thought we were supposed to be working together with the police, not working solo. Why are we doing this on our own," said Chojuro, frowning slightly.

"We are working together," said Shikamaru, peering at Temari. She nodded and said. "Yes, Commander Omaku is going to help us get in to see Goro. He is a close confidant of Goro."

There were surprised looks around the room as Kurotsuchi spoke up and said, "A Masanori is a close confidant of Goro?"

"He is undercover and goes by another name. We will not be able to recognize him, and Goro does not know that he is Masanori," said Temari.

Chojuro looked between Kurotsuchi, Temari and Shikamaru timidly and said, "But…isn't that a conflict of—"

"Interest. Yeah, that's what I said," said Naruto, frowning slightly.

"Commander Omaku claims to have no involvement with the affairs of his uncle, the head of the Masanori clan. And Police Chief Hiroki seems to trust him and believe that there is no conflict."

There was contemplative silence around the room.

"However," Shikamaru, "the Masanori clan is known for it's genjutsu." He looked at Naruto stoically, and Naruto frowned.

"Do you suspect fowl play, Shikamaru," asked Omoi, looking at him uncomfortably.

"I'm not ruling it out. I want to keep an eye on the situation. Be observant, everyone," said Shikamaru. Everyone nodded in affirmation.

Shikamaru continued, "Anyway, let's talk about how we are going to handle tomorrow…"


	23. Never Have I Ever (Part 1)

There was chatter around the room as everyone made comments about whether or not they've ever played "never have I ever before," what kind of questions they thought they might ask, and their apprehension about playing. Shikamaru glanced at the clock and saw 9:48pm. He groaned and yawned annoyedly. He just wanted to go back to his room and go to bed. They had to meet with the Police Chief and Masanori at 11:00am, and the day's events had exhausted him.

Kiba was walking around the room distributing little candies he had gotten from the hotel market downstairs. He gave everyone enough to match the number of questions that would be asked during the game.

"Okay, guys," said Kiba loudly and excitedly. He was standing in the middle of the room, grinning blazingly. "Here's how we are going to play, and here are the rules: we'll go around in a circle and each person will come up with a 'never have I ever' statement for the whole group. If you have done that statement before, you must eat—" Shino cleared his throat, glaring up at Kiba. "Ugh, fine, or pocket the candy so that it is no longer in the circle in front of you. At the end, we will see who has the least amount and who has the most, and those people will get a prize."

"You get a prize for having either the most OR the least amount," said Omoi, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. THAT WAY EVERYONE IS HONEST AND THERE IS NO COMPETITION TO EAT THE MOST OR LEAST AMOUNT," said Kiba, glaring around the room.

Omoi narrowed his eyes skeptically, but didn't argue. He and others could recognize flaws in that logic, but decided to let it go for the sake of getting this game over with.

"You must tell the truth. Hinata," Kiba pointed at Hinata hard, which made her flinch slightly, "will have her byakugan activated and will be watching to see who is lying and who is being honest. She can tell by your heart rate and body temperature."

Naruto glanced at Hinata questioningly, and she looked pointedly away from him, blushing slightly.

"You will be asked to share your reason for eating the candy, and you can choose to not share if you want," he said glancing at Hinata. She made this request to him, and he decided to honor it on her behalf. She smiled slightly at him, and nodded her thanks.

"Now..let's get started! How about I start us off with an easy question?"

There were mumblings around the room as many people doubted that the question would be easy, and others looked at him skeptically.

"Don't worry, you guys. I promise I'll go easy," Kiba said, his fanged grin widening deviously. Hinata and Shino sighed, looking at one another in mutual understanding of what was about to happen.

"Alright, here we go." Kiba cleared his throat loudly and obnoxiously. "Never have I never…done something embarrassing to try to impress a girl or boy I was interested in."

The tension around the room was thick as everyone seemed to sit frozen in place.

"Well, don't everyone make a move at once," said Kiba with a chuckle, moving to sit in his spot next to Shino and Akamaru. Akamaru moaned indignantly and Shino frowned at him.

The first person to move was a little shocking. With a deep, long suffering sigh, Shikamaru reached down and picked up a piece of the candy, and stuffed it in his pocket. He glanced at Kiba, then Temari for a few moments, then sat back and looked up at the ceiling with his eyes closed.

"Wha…Shikamaru," said Kiba, mouth open slightly, eyes excited.

"When did you—" started Naruto, but he was interrupted by Ino who said, "What? When was this? You didn't tell me—" who was interrupted by Chouji who said, "Guys, guys, cool it. Let him speak if he wants to." Chouji was staring at him with a wide grin, and glanced at Temari, who was looking at Shikamaru with raised eyebrows.

"Shika," she muttered under her breath.

He opened an eye and glanced at her, then smirked slightly and muttered back, "You asked for this, Tem." Her eyes widened in understanding as he lifted up to rest his elbows on his knees, and rest his head on on of his hands. He looked at Kiba disinterestedly and said, "Yes, I've 'done something embarrassing to try to impress a girl I was interested in.' I…" he bit his bottom lip and tilted his head uncomfortably, feeling some remorse for having started this, but deciding he was too deep to stop now, "I serenaded a girl I was interested in…to apologize for being an asshole." He could feel Temari tense up beside him, and he avoided looking at her and looked hard at the floor with narrowed eyes a smirk on his face.

Everyone was looking back and forth between him and Temari. Temari's face reddened with each passing moment of silence. She was staring hard at the back of Shikamaru's head and avoiding eye contact with anyone else. That is, until she heard her brother beside her say, "wait, was that…OH YEAH, OH MY GOD, WAS THAT WHEN YOU AND HE DID IT IN YOUR OFF—" but she cut him up with a firm elbow jab in the thigh, to which he hissed in pain in response.

Laughter and giggling broke out across the room. Questions were asked:

"What song did you sing?

"Her favorite song…"

"What position were you in? Did you get on your knees and do it?"

"…Yes," said Shikamaru pointedly, blushing slightly.

"What did she do after that? Did she forgive you?"

"That's classified. But, uh, yeah, she forgave me I think," he said with a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.

There was more talking as others decided they would pick up candy as well. Naruto and Lee were the first ones to pick up candy, chuckling as they reminisced about their years of chasing after Sakura. TenTen looked pointedly away, and turned to talk loudly to Hinata to drown them out.

Temari chances a glance at Shikamaru, who was sitting back, looking at her and smiling slightly. Her cheeks reddened a little, and she smiled back. She leaned into him and whispered as quietly as she could, "I seem to remember her forgiving you — and if I remember correctly, she rewarded you for your singing. As mediocre as it was, mind you, but still."

He snorted quietly and said, "yes, I remember." He glanced around and then at her and grinned slyly, "I seem to remember not being the only one on my knees that night—"

She elbowed him hard in the arm, to which he responded with a low hiss of pain but a small chuckle as he moved away and looked around the rest of the room. She looked at him with a scowl, but it softened instantly. She studied his eyes and his small, crooked smile as he watched his friends with a cross between amusement and pride. She smiled as she thought, not for the first time, thank you for being with me, and for being alive.

Eventually, the room began to quiet down as someone asked Kiba who was next.

"Alright, Shino. It's your turn to ask a question," said Kiba, smiling at him.

"Kiba," he said, glaring at him, "I really don't want to do this, because—"

"Oh, COME ON, Shino. Don't be such a wimp," said Kiba with a grin. Shino scowled and said angrily, "I'm not a wimp, I just—"

Kiba held up a hand and said irritably, "JUST DO IT AND GET IT OVER WITH."

"Fine," said Shino, forcefully, raising his voice slightly. He sighed and pinched his nose bridge. What are the types of questions that they ask during these sorts of things, he thought. He didn't know. All he knew about this was what Kiba told him. So, he said, "Never have I ever…had intercourse with another person."

Many people around the room looked at him alarmed. Some faces reddened. Others covered their mouth in surprise or to stifle nervous laughter, or ducked their head and chuckled lightly at his blatancy. But once again, no one moved.

"Oh, come now, guys. I don't need a byakugan to know which of you should be eating a piece of candy right now," said Ino with a chuckle.

So, the first person to pick up a piece of candy was Sai. He unwrapped it nonchalantly, but there was an air on amusement in his mannerisms.

Ino looked at him in horror and hissed, "Sai!"

"What? As Kiba has said, I am under byakugan scrutiny and I cannot lie without Hinata knowing. Might as well fess up that let everyone know that we are having sex."

"SAI," Ino shouts, turning bright red in the face, hitting him in the arm with a slap of her hand. "You shouldn't…that's…that's private…" she hissed.

Sai shrugged, and said, "apparently not, if we agreed to play a game that asks questions like this."

Ino covered her face and groaned in embarrassment as a few people around the room chuckled lightly.

"So, anyone else," asked Kiba, looking around the room with his fanged grin again.

There was nervous silence as no one made a move. "Oh, come now. Don't make me ask Hinata to use the Byakugan-"

Suddenly, Akatsuchi, Shikamaru, Temari and Kankuro picked up pieces of candy.

"Oh, really. YOU, Kankuro," said Kiba, tilting his head skeptically and chuckling slightly.

Kankuro looked up at Kiba with a grin and said, "I would have thought a lady's man like you would've picked up a piece as well."

Kiba immediately scowled and opened his mouth to say something when Hinata interrupted and said, "s-someone is lying."


	24. Never Have I Ever (Part 2)

Kiba turned and looked at her with eyes wide and said, “who, Hinata?”  
  
“I…I can’t pinpoint it…There is an awful amount of…um, well…” she struggled, trying to find the best words to describe this awkward thing. “There is an awful amount of body heat over in that corner of the room.” She pointed in the direction of Chojuro, Misuno, Omoi, Karui and Chouji. All of their eyes widened. She was lying herself — she knew who among them should be eating candy and who shouldn't, but she wasn’t comfortable outing people.  
  
“Are you sure it’s not just Chouji, Hinata? He gives off a lot of body heat,” said Ino.  
  
 Chouji scowled at her and said, “H-hey, it’s not me. I haven’t…and for the record—”  
  
“It’s not him,” interrupted Hinata, narrowing her eyes slightly. She started to bite her lower lip, and her eyes scanned each of them. Once she finished, having given each of them enough time to make a move, she deactivated her byakugan and closed her eyes. She was about to say something when suddenly…  
  
Misuno reached down to eat a piece of candy.  
  
Hinata looked at her with wide eyes, and then closed her mouth tightly in shock.  
  
The others in the corner looked at her in surprise. Chojuro especially looked at her in shock, and his mouth moved as if to say something, but he couldn’t seem to form words or sentences to ask the questions on the tip of his tongue.  
  
Kiba turned to Hinata and asked her if that was all of them.  
  
Chouji couldn’t help but keep his eyes firmly planted on Karui’s candy. Though, he was glancing at it sideways and trying not to make it so overtly obvious, Shikamaru noticed his friend’s actions and couldn’t help but smile slightly. But Karui was completely oblivious to his attention.  
  
Hinata turned to Kiba and said, “yes, that’s the only one.”  
  
Chouji exhaled a breath that he didn’t realized he had been holding, and felt his whole body begin to relax again from tension he hadn’t realized he had.  
  
Shikamaru saw this, and chuckled lightly under his breath.  
  
“Alright, TenTen. It’s your turn,” said Kiba, looking at her with a smile.  
  
“Okay. Uh…Never have I ever…” She paused, tapping her chin in contemplation. She knew what was on her mind, but she wasn’t really sure if she wanted to ask that or not.  
  
“…Told someone other than a family member than I love them…romantically,” said TenTen. Lee was looking at her and noticed that there was something off about the way that she was smiling — that it seemed forced. And still, she was looking everywhere but at him.  
  
After that last question that Shino asked, everyone was beginning to feel more comfortable. Several people picked up pieces of candy, including Hinata, Ino, Sai, Rock Lee, and Shikamaru.  
  
The ones who remained were Naruto, Chouji, Karui, Omoi, Kankuro, Shino, Kiba, Chojuro, Misuno, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi and Temari. A few people looked at her with eyebrows raised, and she avoided their eye contact. Ino, in particular, was looking at her especially hard.  
  
“Okay, your turn, Hinata,” said Kiba.  
  
“Uh…um…N-never have I e-ever…w-walked in on someone of the opposite sex in the shower, or had someone of the opposite sex walk in on m-me.” Hinata covered her face with her hands and blushed madly. Naruto’s eyes widened at her brazenness.  
  
And then, his eyes widened further when she herself picked up a piece of candy, along with Omoi, Karui, Kankuro, and Temari. Then, after a few moments, while looking at one another with bright red faces, Kurotsuchi and Chojuro picked up pieces at the same time, and quickly looked away from one another.  
  
Shikamaru noticed this, and furrowed his brow in confusion. He looked at Kiba and tilted his head in their direction, motioning for him to ask them their story. Kiba nodded in understanding.  
  
“What’s uh…what’s with the hesitation there, guys,” said Kiba, looking at Kurotsuchi and Chojuro with a grin.  
  
“None of your damn business, dog boy,” said Kurotsuchi, bright red.  
  
“Woah-ho. Touchy. It must be a big deal,” he said chuckling and looking at Chojuro, who was looking at the floor uncomfortably.  
  
Akatsuchi started to snicker and everyone’s eyes directed toward him.   
  
“Oh! You know, don’t you,” said Kiba, walking over to sit in front of him excitedly. “Tell us.”  
  
“No, no, I couldn’t do that to Kurot and Chojuro—” he was laughing so hard that he was tearing up, and he was interrupted by Kurotsuchi punching him hard in the mouth.  
  
“Kurotsuchi AND Chojuro, eh,” said Kiba, bouncing excitedly. The whole room was silent and listening in. “Come on, tell us.”  
  
“I said it’s none of your business,” shouted Kurotsuchi angrily, crossing her arms.  
  
“Kurotsuchi, you are making it worse by fighting it so much,” said Misuno, looking away from all of them as if they were boring her. “Senpai, why don’t you tell them what happened at Shikamaru’s?”  
  
Chojuro and Kurotsuchi hissed — one in anger, another in extreme embarrassment.   
  
“M-Misuno…that’s enough. Be quiet,” said Chojuro, glaring at her. She shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
“Soooo,” sang Kiba merrily. “Who walked in on who? Was it you, Kurotsuchi? Did you walk in on Chojuro?”  
  
Her face blanched, but she shook her head angrily. “N-no…That’s not…Stop asking questions!”   
  
“Oooooh, so it was the opposite. Chojuro walked in on Kurotsuchi, then,” said Kiba, grinning as if he had just struck gold.  
  
Both of their faces paled, and they looked at one another and looked away uncomfortably.  
  
“Kiba, that’s enough,” said Temari. “Leave ‘em be.”  
  
Kiba turned to her and looked at her with a raised brow, and before he could retort, he caught Shikamaru’s gaze and nod telling him to stop.  
  
He sighed deeply and said, “alright, alright.”  
  
He moved back to his spot, and looked around the room to Kankuro and grinned. “You’re turn.”  
  
Kankuro returned the grin, and the whole room got tense.  
  
“Alright, never have I ever…gone ‘commando’ for a full day,” said Kankuro, chuckling at himself.  
  
Temari looked at him disapprovingly.  
  
All of the guys picked up a piece of candy, and a few of the girls exclaimed in horror.  
  
“Oh, come on, now. I know there are a few females here who have done this. Matter of fact…” He glanced at Temari, and she glared at him dangerously.  
  
The girls stared at one another uncomfortably, and nodded at one another in silent understanding.   
  
Five women picked up candy.  
  
“Let’s see,” said Kankuro, grinning widely. “I knew about Temari already. But now we have…Ino…TenTen…Kurotsuchi…and…Hinata?”  
  
Naruto’s head snapped to look at her with wide, surprised eyes. Sensing the movement, she made the mistake of looking at him, and blushed hard before looking away. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a small grin came up to his face. But, sensing Hinata’s discomfort, Shino cleared his throat loudly and go Naruto’s attention, and shook his head slowly. Naruto rolled his eyes and looked away.  
  
“Yeah, Shino and I aren’t really surprised. We’ve had to get dressed around one another loads of times, and I’m pretty convinced that she went commando just to get dressed as quickly as possible our of embarrassment,” said Kiba, leaning onto Akamaru nonchalantly.  
  
Hinata’s eyes widened in embarrassement, and Shino turned to him and glared. “Kiba, shut up,” said Shino angrily.  
  
Kiba waved a hand dismissively, but grinned lightly in the direction of Naruto, who was looking at him hard.  
  
“Ok, Temari. Your turn,” said Kiba.  
  
“Never have I ever—” she glanced at Kankuro and smiled deviously. She let out a snort of laughter and said, “Never have I ever…kissed a guy.”  
  
Kankuro turned pale and narrowed his eyes at her. “You…”  
  
Temari shrugged, and crossed her arms, planting a pleased expression on her face.  
  
She herself was the first to pick up candy. All of the girls around the circle picked up candy except for Hinata, TenTen and Kurotsuchi. Akatsuchi peered at her with a raised eyebrow, and she shrugged looking off to the side and muttering “it’s just…never happened.” Chojuro heard that, and smiled at little, but never looked in her direction.  
  
Hinata was looking hard at Naruto, and he could feel her eyes on him. He knew she was warning him. So, with a deep sigh, he began to reach to grab a piece of candy when suddenly, Rock Lee snatches up a piece as well, blushing hard.  
  
“Bushy-brow…who did you—” started Naruto, but he was interrupted by Lee.   
  
“N-Neji. It was an accident,” he said screwing up his face in embarrassment.  
  
Naruto chuckled, and picked up a piece of candy himself — though, he looked down at it nervously.  
  
“Naruto? You? But, who—” started Lee, but Naruto interrupted him now, with a loud groan.  
  
Naruto looked away from him, but was smiling slightly as he said, “It…was an accident. Everyone knows it was. It was…well, it was Sasuke.”  
  
Lee’s eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly he heard giggling from across the room as Hinata and TenTen were leaning into one another and whispering, occasionally glancing at the two men. TenTen glanced up in their direction, and saw Lee looking at her curiously. Her smile dropped as she looked at him, but then she suddenly turned back to Hinata and whispered something, to which Hinata responded with a blush and rather shrill giggle as her hand covered her mouth.  
  
Lee furrowed his brow, sighed, and looked toward Shikamaru, who was eying the situation with a slight puzzled look on his face. Lee frowned slightly at him, and shook his head before looking down at his pile of candy, feeling upset.  
  
TenTen looked up from talking with Hinata and looked in the direction of Lee and saw this. She frowned slightly, and felt a surge of guilt.  
  
“Okay, your turn, Shikamaru,” said Kiba, pointing lazily at him.  
  
Shikamaru waved a hand dismissively at him and leaned back in his chair, rolling his eyes. He sighed deeply and said, “Never have I ever…kissed a girl.” He smirked as Temari turned to look at him, giving him a disapproving glare.  
  
“Aw, come on, Shikamaru. You just copied your girl friend,” said Kiba, giving him a disappointed frown.  
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he said, “she’s not my girl friend.” Temari also spoke at the same time and said, “I am not his girl friend.” Both were looking at Kiba — one annoyed, and one glaring. Kiba just grinned at them, and rose his hands in the air defensively.  
  
Sai was the first to pick up a piece of candy. “I have no problem admitting that I am in a relationship with someone,” he said, leaning in to kiss Ino on the cheek. She blushed in surprise, and smiled bashfully. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and picked up his own piece of candy, tearing the wrapper off of it irritably.  
  
Chouji was the next to pick up a piece of candy. He was smirking happily as he opened the piece meticulously. Karui couldn’t help but smile slightly, but made an effort to look pointedly away from him.  
  
Several others picked up candy as well: Akatsuchi, Kiba, Kankuro and Chojuro — who earned a quick glances from Kurotsuchi. Misuno stared forward and appeared to not be surprised, which made Kurotsuchi’s eyes narrow slightly.  
  
“Alright, Naruto. Go,” said Kiba.  
  
Naruto chuckled, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “I’ve got one, but some of you aren’t going to like it.”  
  
“What is it, Naruto,” said Kiba, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Naruto gave him a devious grin and said, “Never have I ever…peeked in the baths at a hot spring.”  
  
Several people around the room growled in anger or groaned in annoyance.   
  
“Nar-ru-toooo,” said Ino, glaring at him. “You’re such a per—” but she stopped and turned slowly with a horrified look on her face as she saw Sai pick up a piece.  
  
“Wha-what? Y-you? Sai,” she said.  
  
“I, among others, were with Naruto and were forced to do so,” he said, not looking at her.  
  
“Forced? How could he force you to—” started Ino, but she was interrupted by Kiba, who picked up a piece of candy and said, “I think he means, ‘coerced.’ No one was forced to do anything, Sai.”  
  
“You, too, Kiba,” said Hinata, looking at him with a mixture of disapproval and sadness.  
  
“Yeah. But it wasn’t just me, Sai and Naruto. There were several others,” he said, looking at his candy nonchalantly. Hinata could tell that he was a little ashamed, but he wouldn’t let it show.  
  
“Who else was with you, Kiba? And wait…who exactly did you peek on,” said TenTen, eying him with narrow eyes.  
  
Kiba’s blushed hard and his head began to drop into his shoulders as if he were being scolded. “Ah…well…” he began, but got quiet.   
  
Lee was looking hard at Shikamaru, a look of nervousness plastered on his face. TenTen noticed this, and her eye narrowed.  
  
“Lee, did you…did you do it, too,” she muttered, darkly.  
  
Lee turned to look at her with large, panicked eyes. “I…well…TenTen…I—” he stammered.  
  
Sensing his panic, Shikamaru leaned forward and inhaled deeply before picking up a piece of candy himself.  
  
Temari’s eyes widened in surprise, then she glared at him.  
  
“Shikamaru Nara. I thought things like that would be beneath you,” she hissed.  
  
“Yeah, well…I was not above making mistakes when I was a dumb kid. I went with them, along with Neji, to keep them from doing something stupid and to watch out for people who might catch us,” he said.  
  
“Oh, no…not Neji, too,” said TenTen. Hinata gasped in horror and covered her mouth, looking as if she might start to cry.  
  
“Yes, Neji, too,” said Shikamaru with a sigh. “There there were more. Come on, guys. We fessed up. Pick up your damn candy.”  
  
With groans or hisses of annoyance, and finally sighs, Chouji and Shino picked up candy.  
  
“Sh…Shino…” whispered Hinata, looking at him pleadingly. “Say it isn’t so…”  
  
“It is so, Hinata. I am not proud of it. And I would suspect Chouji isn’t, either,” he said, motioning to Chouji.  
  
“Chouji…” muttered Karui shaking her head in disappointment.  
  
“Yeah, I know,” he whispered, frowning.  
  
“Who was it, Chouji,” she said lowly, looking at him with a disapproving frown.  
  
“L-Lady Tsunade,” he mutters, covering his eyes in shame.  
  
“What,” shouted TenTen.  
  
“Is nothing sacred with you, men? What the hell is wrong with you?!” shouted Temari, raising to her feet angrily.  
  
“Yeah, I can’t believe you would do that — and to Lady Tsunade?!” said Ino, crossing her arms.  
  
Hinata covered her eyes in shook her head.  
  
Kiba sighed deeply and looked at Hinata. “Is that everyone, Hinata?”  
  
“Wha-w-what,” she said, looking at him through her hands nervously.  
  
“Is that everyone,” he repeated.  
  
“I…uh…yes,” she said. He noticed that her byakugan wasn’t activiated. His eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
“Are you sure,” he said, leaning over toward her.  
  
“I already answered you, Kiba, let’s move on,” she said nervously, looking at Lee expectantly.   
  
“I think you are lying,” he said darkly. She silently cursed to herself.  
  
“I…”  
  
“Tell me you aren’t lying?”  
  
“I…I…”  
  
You’re lying, aren’t you?”  
  
“I…well…”  
  
“Who is it, Hinata,” he said, irritably.   
  
“I…I can’t…”  
  
“You can’t tell us,” he finished for her. He looked hard at Shikamaru, who was looking at her with narrowed eyes.  
  
“Hinata,” Shikamaru said, almost a little coldly. “Tell us who it is.”  
  
“Shikamaru…I can’t…”  
  
“As your captain, I am ordering you to tell us.”  
  
She looked up at him as if he had struck her, and she fidgeted hard with one of her candy wrappers.  
  
“Shikamaru, please don’t make me do this…” she begged.  
  
“Do it, Hinata,” he said, firmly.  
  
“I…”  
  
“Do it.”  
  
“But I can’t—”  
  
“DO IT, NOW,” shouted several of the men around the room, looking at her angrily.  
  
“I…I…I…” she covered her eyes again, in shame. “Please, girls, just…let’s get it over with…” she muttered with a trembling sigh.  
  
Several faces looked at her sympathetically, and there was a shifting Ino, Temari, TenTen and Hinata snatched up their candy quickly.  
  
There was silence for a moment, then suddenly the room exploded with shouts as several people rose to their feet, pointing at one another angrily, or apologized profusely to others. “S-Sakura was with us, too,” muttered Ino, smiling apologetically.  
  
“WHO, HINATA,” said Shikamaru, turning around angrily. “WHO DID YOU PEEK ON?!”  
  
She groaned. “We peeked on the guys…”  
  
“WHAT?!” shouted Naruto, covering himself with his hands protectively.  
  
“HOW COULD YOU,” shouted Kiba, angrily, with a note of hurt in his voice.  
  
“Who, specifically? And what did you think,” said Sai, nonchalantly, though there was an air of amusement around him.  
  
“Please, Sai…not now,” said Ino, face covered with one hand, face bright red.  
  
“NO, I WANT TO KNOW,” shouted Naruto, looking around at the others who nodded in fierce agreement.  
  
“Well, there were obviously some winners and losers,” said Temari, looking down at her nails nonchalantly.   
  
“Kiba, Naruto, Shino, Shikamaru, Lee, Sasuke, Chouji…everyone was there,” muttered Ino, covering her face with her other hand now. “You…you weren’t there, Sai…”  
  
“Aw, thats a shame,” he said, a small smile creeping up onto his lips. But then suddenly, he looked at her with his mouth open and his eyes conveying his feeling of betrayal. “Wait…you mean…” he looked around the room at the others, and stopped at Chouji, and down at his midsection, who took a second to process what was going on before he suddenly covered himself. “S-SAI, COME ON,” he shouted angrily.  
  
“So, let me get this straight,” said Karui, “All of you Konoha and Suna shinobi are a bunch of perverts?  
  
“Hey, leave Suna out of this. For the record, I’ve never peeked,” said Kankuro, looking at his sister disapprovingly. She glared at him.  
  
“Temari…you’ve been spending far too much time in Konoha. You’re one of them now. Part of their pack of perverts,” said Kurotsuchi, giggling. The other foreign ninja around the room laughed along with her.  
  
“SHUT IT, KUROT, KARUI. NO ONE ASKED FOR YOUR OPINIONS,” shouted Temari, point a finger at them angrily.  
  
“Kiba, can’t we just move on,” begged Hinata. “Let’s just go on to the next question.”  
  
He glared down at her, and she wilted slightly. “Please, Kiba…” she muttered, looking up at him pleadingly.  
  
“Alright, ALRIGHT,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air angrily. “Might as well. Come on, guys,” he said, motioning to the others, who were grunting in reply or sighing angrily before taking their seats. “BUT WE ARE GOING TO REVISIT THIS LATER,” shouted Kiba, pointing hard at Hinata, who flinched and covered her face again in fear. “Go, Lee,” said Kiba, with a grunt.  
  
Lee sighed deeply, closing his eyes. He was just looking angrily at TenTen, who was avoiding his eye contact.   
  
Naruto leaned in to him, and whispered something. Lee nodded quickly, brow furrowing slightly before he opened his eyes and looking straight at TenTen.  
  
“Never have I ever…fallen in love with a close friend or teammate,” he said. As others around him picked up candy, he himself picked up candy, still looking at TenTen. Her eyes widened slightly at this, but then she looked off to the side, lost in thought. Lee sighed, looked down at his hands and began to open his candy listlessly.  
  
Shikamaru was among them.   
  
“Ewwww, Shikamaru. You mean, Ino—” started Kiba, looking at him disgusted, but he was interrupted by Shikamaru who said loudly, “No, Kiba. Not Ino. I have worked on and continue to work on other teams. And I have other close female friends.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” said Kiba, waving his hand dismissively. “Sai, go ahead, buddy. Give us something good. All of these recent questions are giving me a headache.”  
  
Sai smiled slightly, and said, “Never have I ever…fantasized about a teammate in a sexual way.”  
  
“OH, FOR GOD’S SAKE, SAI,” shouted Ino and Shikamaru in unison. Sai just stared at them innocently.  
  
A few people picked up candy: Akatsuchi, Shikamaru, Kankuro, Kiba, Sai, Naruto, Chouji, Lee and Omoi picked up candy.  
  
Karui glanced at Chouji with narrow eyes, to which he just shook his head quickly in response. Satisfied, Karui’s expression relaxed for a moment, until suddenly her eyes widened. She quickly leaned close to him and whispered lowly, “wait…you mean…”  
  
“As Shikamaru said earlier, I have served on other teams,” said Chouji with a shrug. His cheeks were starting to blush as he grinned, looking around the room. He suddenly paused, expression dark — he was looking at Omoi, who was wrapping the piece of candy he had just picked up.  
  
Not missing a beat, Kankuro jumped to the edge of his seat with excitement. “YOU, Omoi,” asked Kankuro, immediately looking at Karui with wide eyes. “Don't tell me…Karui…”  
  
Omoi nearly choked on his candy. “ABSOLUTELY NOT,” he said very sternly. She glared at him as others around the room snickered with laughter.  
  
“Then…who?”  
  
“He’s talking about Miss Samui,” said Karui, looking away from him indignantly.   
  
“Miss…Samui…you mean…” Kankuro made a motion with his hands at his chest, earning a hard slap from Temari.  
  
“Are you talkin’ about that blonde lady that was apart of your team,” asked Naruto, brow raised.   
  
Omoi looked down at his lap uncomfortably and nodded.   
  
“He has a thing for blondes,” said Karui, mockingly.   
  
“Karui, for goodness sake,” shouted Omoi, snapping his head to turn toward her.  
  
“Blondes? What, like Ino,” said Kiba, smile growing.  
  
“Kiba, don't start,” said Hinata, looking at him pleadingly.   
  
“What? Me? And Omoi?”  
  
“No, not like Ino,” said Omoi, scowling at Kiba and blushing in embarrassment.  
  
“What's wrong with Ino?”  
  
“Nothing…it's just…”  
  
“Yeah, Omoi, what's wrong with Ino? She's totally the type you've described to me before,” said Karui, grinning at him deviously. Chouji chuckled slightly but began to sweat nervously — he could sense a fight starting.  
  
“Yeah, Omoi…what's wrong with me,” said Ino, coming over to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips. She didn't really like him, but something about this was wounding her pride slightly.  
  
He sighed deeply and looked up at her pleadingly, and looked at Karui pleadingly, but neither would budget at their continuous pursuit. So, he glanced at Sai, then looked up at Ino and said, “It’s because you’re taken.”  
  
There was silence in the room for a moment as the two looked at one another. Ino’s eye narrowed. “What…really? That’s why?”  
  
He paled, but looked away and nodded. “Among other things. You’re from another village. Our personalities probably wouldn’t mesh well. You—”  
  
“Whats wrong with my personality,” asked Ino, irritably.  
  
He groaned. “It’s…man, someone, help me out,” he said, glancing around the room at everyone. Everyone either looked away, shook their head no, grinned at his misery, or smiled sympathetically.  He wasn’t sure which one was worse. He even looked at Chouji, who smiled sympathetically at him, looked at Ino with a frown and was clearly about to say something to her when Karui spoke and said, “I think he’s just trying to say that you fit the body type, but not everything else.” She smirked at him and winked before looking at Ino and saying, “To be fair, you probably don’t like his personality either. He’s too much like Shikamaru in some ways, Chouji in others, and not enough like Sai.”  
  
Ino scrunched up her face in thought, then rolled her eyes and began to walk back to her spot.  
  
“Ino, it’s your turn,” said Kiba, still grinning at her.  
  
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, waving her hand irritably.  
  
She sat down with a huff, then screwed up her face in thought.  
  
“Never…never I have ever…” she started. Then, suddenly, she started to smirk.


	25. Never Have I Ever (Part 3)

Ino began to giggle as she blushed and covered her mouth.

"Sai, I don't know if I can say it," she said through giggles and through her hands - words muffled slightly.

He half smiled at her, and said, "I told you so."

She furrowed her brows at him in annoyance.

"What is it, Ino," asked Kiba, looking a little bored. "It can't be much worse than what's been asked so far."

"I don't know, Kiba…" said Ino, dropping her hands and looking at him with a nervous smile. "It's pretty—"

"Just say it, Ino. We don't have all night," said Shikamaru grumpily.

She turned and scowled at him. "Shikamaru, you might not like this question—"

"Out with it, Ino," said Temari, leaning close to Shikamaru. "He's right, we don't have all night. It's already 11:00."

"Okay okay! Ugh! Never have I ever…Never have I ever masturbated," she said, then covered her face again with her hands and giggled loudly.

Several eyes around the room widened. Hinata looked at her a little betrayed and said, "I-Inoooo…why did you have to ask that? It's so embarrassing!"

"What's so embarrassing about it," said Kiba, reaching to grab a piece of candy.

"K-Kiba! I don't want to know who has done that…and I especially didn't want to know that you did it," said Hinata angrily, blushing.

Several others picked up candy around the room, though some more shamefully than others. The only one to not pick up candy was…Hinata. She looked around the room in horror. She even looked to her right and saw Shino pick a piece up, and she yelped in protest.

"Come on, Hinata. It's perfectly natural," said Kiba, grinning at her. "You mean to tell me you've never done it?"

"NO," she shouted, looking at him in anger.

Kiba leaned over toward Shino and whispered, "man, I can't decide if that means Naruto has his work cut out for him, or if he's lucky because things will be so easy…"

"Shut up, Kiba," said Shino with a hiss, glancing at Naruto. Naruto was too busy looking at Hinata sympathetically to have heard.

Ino giggled louder, and TenTen was looking at Hinata sympathetically. TenTen placed a hand on Hinata's leg, which made her flinch. "It's perfectly normal that Hinata hasn't done it. And it's normal than we have. We all have a choice as to whether or not we do it," and TenTen, looking at Kiba with a look that said "drop it."

"Yeah…yeah, you're right, TenTen," said Temari, smiling softly at Hinata. "Don't be so nervous about it, though, Hinata."

"I'm not…I'm not nervous," she said. She glanced at TenTen, who was still smiling at her. "I just don't want to know that others are doing it…it's just so personal, you know?"

"Yeah, I get ya," said Shikamaru behind a yawn. "Ino, that was a hell of a question. Way to make everyone uncomfortable. I certainly didn't need to know that you and Chouji did it," he said, chuckling lightly.

"Whatever, Shikamaru," said Ino, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, Kiba, let's move on," said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright. Chouji, it's your turn," said Kiba, leaning back up against Akamaru, who was asleep.

Chouji tapped his chin in contemplation, and glanced over at Hinata. He turned to look at her fully and smiled, and said, "Never have I ever…eaten something out of the trash."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, and then her expression softened as she gave Chouji a small smile and a small nod of thanks.

Everyone else was looking at him in irritation or rolled their eyes at his statement. Karui smiled at him, proud of him for choosing a question that wasn't so…risqué.

"Alright, any garbage eaters," asked Kiba, a note of annoyance in his voice. No one picked up candy. "Not a one, eh?"

"Karui, please tell me you have a better question than that," said Kankuro, scowling slightly. "That one was boring."

She scowled back at him, and leaned forward. "Get over yourself, Kankuro. And not every question has to be so…scandalous. It's nice to mix it up," she said.

"Psht. Whatever," said Kankuro, waving a hand in dismissal at her.

She grinned at him. "Alright. Never have I ever…cross dressed."

He looked at her with eyes wide in shock. Then his eyes narrowed. "Hey…what…"

"Go ahead, Puppet Boy. Pick up your candy," she said, grin widening.

"Temari, what did you—" started Kankuro as he turned to look at his sister, who was turning red with laughter.

"TEMARI! How could you?!" Kankuro roared.

Temari shrugged, between fits of laughter.

"I can't believe you told her!"

"She told several of us actually," said Ino with a giggle. "About you having to dress like a woman for than mission, and seduce that guy while your sister and team waited in the other room to come out and attack him when he was most vulnerable."

Kankuro whined in annoyance. "Temari…how could you," he said, looking at her hurt.

"It was to get revenge for when you embarrassed me in front of the feudal lord by telling him I was available," she said with a scowl. "His son was insufferable all night. He even tried to attack me later that night!"

"You mean when he tried to hug you," said Kankuro, brow furrowing.

"Hugging…attacking…same thing," said Temari with a hiss.

There was chuckling around the room at their conversation as a few others picked up candy: TenTen, Lee, Karui. TenTen saw Lee pick up a piece of candy, and she couldn't help but smile to herself as she remembered the photo of Neji and videos of Lee back at her apartment.

"Omoi," said Kiba, "your turn."

"Eh…I'm not sure if I'm—" started Omoi nervously, but Karui elbowed him hard in the arm and said, "Just get it over with."

"Well, I…alright," he said. "Never have I ever…had my advances rejected by a crush."

A few people around the room hissed in either embarrassment or frustration at the question. Naruto and Lee were the first to pick up candy, and they both sat quietly — Naruto frowning and Lee staring at the ground with an uncomfortable look on his face.

Kankuro and Kiba picked up candy at the same time, and they eyed one another warily, wondering if the other would ask about it.

Ino, TenTen, Kurotsuchi and Misuno all picked up candy next — Ino stared at her candy, and seemed lost in thought. TenTen's brow furrowed as she stared at the candy wrapper uncomfortably, flattening it and turning it over and over again in her hands. Kurotsuchi glanced at Misuno and narrowed her eyes slightly before glancing at Chojuro, who was sighing in obvious discomfort as he leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Guys…I don't know if I want to play anymore," said Ino, frowning.

"Yeah, these questions are…too much," said Kurotsuchi uncomfortably. She glanced at Chojuro, who was shaking his head in agreement.

"I'm making an executive decision that we end it here. Maybe we can pick it back up another night," said Shikamaru. "And I don't really care if I've won or lost or not."

"Yeah, same," said Temari, frowning slightly as she nodded in agreement.

There were several nods around the room in agreement.

Shikamaru stood up and looked around. "Let's get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." He peered at Temari, who nodded in agreement.

* * *

The team was walking down the hallway back to their respective rooms, muttering and whispering to one another.

Temari and Ino entered their room, and Temari moved to pick up her bag. She walked over to the door that adjoined their room with Sai and Shikamaru's.

"Thank you, Ino, for doing this," said Temari, smiling at her appreciatively.

Ino smiled at her and said, "Anything for you two. But, Temari, before you go…"

She motioned for Temari to sit on the bed, and she obliged but seemed reluctant.

"Why haven't you told Shikamaru that you love him? I know he loves you, and that he has said it," said Ino, looking at Temari hard.

Temari's brow furrowed at that, and she looked away from Ino. She couldn't bring herself to talk about this out loud —especially to Ino. So she just said, "The timing hasn't been right."

"'The timing hasn't been right?' What the heck is that supposed to mean? He's given you plenty of chances, " said Ino, glowering at Temari.

"I don't…its more complicated than you know, Ino. Our relationship…" Temari bit her lip uncomfortably. "I really don't want to talk about this." She started to rise off of the bed, and started to move toward the door again.

"Temari, you're hurting him every time you don't say it. I don't know why you won't say it, but I know that you love him, too. And, as Shikamaru's friend, I need you to stop hurting him. Either admit it, or let him go if you're not ready. Because he's ready," said Ino, voice low but filled with anger.

Temari had her hand on the door handle and hesitated for a moment, letting Ino's words sink in. Was she…was she hurting him?


	26. Have I Been Hurting You?

Temari opened the door and looked around. There were no lights on — the only light that shown into the room was bright moonlight coming from the open doors that lead to the balcony. Directly in front of her was the king sized bed which had night stands on either side. Next to the bed was a set of table and chairs which she could see Shikamaru had already laid out folders, scrolls and other documents related to the mission and the Union. His bag sat in one of the chairs.  
  
She looked to her right and noticed that the glass doors leading to the balcony were open. She could hear muffled talking between Sai, Shikamaru and Chouji.  
  
She wasn't worried about any of them knowing that she was staying in this room — they were among the few that knew things about their relationship and kept their secrets.  
  
So she dropped her bag at the end of the bed and walked toward the glass doors.  
  
“You need to just be honest with Temari about how these things make you feel, Shikamaru,” said Chouji, concerned laced in his voice.  
  
Temari froze mid step, and moved to hide in the shadows next to the doors. She bit her bottom lip, unsure of whether or not she wanted to hear what they were saying, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.  
  
“I am, Chouji. She knows that I want to be with her. She knows that I wish things were different. But…things just… Things just aren't easy for us right now. She still doesn't know how the Suna Council will respond to our relationship,” said Shikamaru, a note of exasperation in his voice.  
  
“So what will happen if they don't respond encouragingly,” asked Sai. “What will happen if they say you can't be together?”  
  
There was a moment of painful silence, and Temari felt like her heart was going to burst through her chest.  
  
“I don't know,” said Shikamaru, quietly. Her eyes widened at that that response.  
  
 _Would Shikamaru not put up a fight? Would he just accept things and move on? Would he leave me?_  
  
Her mind was racing with questions, and she began to feel the anger boiling within herself.   
  
_How…dare he,_ she thought. _How could he not fight for us? For me? Why, that lazy piece of…_  
  
Her thoughts began to darken and she closed her eyes tightly as a surge of pain struck through her heart. _Does he honestly want to be with me? Does he not really love me? Was he lying? Was he saying those things to just get in my pants? What am I to him?_  
  
“Well, I hope they approve things for you two. You both always seem so happy together…when you're not arguing,” said Sai with a chuckle.  
  
“You two are made for one another, Shikamaru. And, she's good for you, Shikamaru. Since you've met her and have spent as much time with her as you have, you've become more motivated, more interested in things, and generally more responsible,” said Chouji.  
  
She heard Shikamaru chuckle lightly and he said, “she's troublesome, but as much as I hate to admit it, I don't know what I'd do without her.”  
  
She smiled slightly at this. She couldn't help it.  
  
“Anyway, I wonder what's taking the girls so long,” said Shikamaru, a small note of irritation in his voice. “I'm ready for bed.”  
  
She pursed her lips and moved away from the shadows to walk outside.   
  
“Did I hear you complaining about me,” she asked, looking over at Shikamaru with a scowl.  She was glad she could hide behind a scowl. She could still feel the heat of anger in the pit of her stomach.  
  
His eyes widened as she appeared but went back to his usual half-lidded look of boredom soon after. He was leaning over the rail of the balcony — Chouji was sitting in one of the chairs and Sai was leaning against the table with his arms and legs crossed. Shikamaru smiled slightly and rolled his eyes at Temari. “You took a long time. I'm ready for bed, woman.”  
  
Her scowl deepened as she said, “well, you could've gone ahead to bed or something. Sent Sai over to the other room. You didn't have to wait for me.”  
  
He scowled back at her. “Well forgive me for trying to be a gentleman.”  
  
“You? A gentleman? Hold on a moment,” she said, stepping over toward the railing and making a show of looking out, up, down and side to side with her hand on her forehead like a visor. “Nope, no pigs flying yet. So, yeah, you being a gentleman? Impossible.”  
  
His scowled deepened at her as the other two men chuckled lowly, trying to cover their mouths.  
  
 “What's got your panties in a wad, woman? I was just making a joke,” he said.  
  
Her eyes narrowed at him slightly. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Well, I'm here now. Can we just go to bed? I'm exhausted.  
  
She turned to Sai and tried to soften her expression. “Sai, thanks for switching with me. I know Ino really appreciates it.”  
  
Sai nodded at her and said, “no, thank you. We both really appreciate this.” He glanced at Shikamaru, who was still glaring at Temari. “Well, I think I'm going to go to bed. Coming, Chouji?”  
  
Chouji was looking between Shikamaru and Temari uncomfortably, and nodded. “Yeah, we've got an early start tomorrow. Right, Shikamaru?”  
  
Shikamaru waved a hand in agreement at him, but didn't take his eyes off of Temari.  
  
Chouji frowned slightly, but rose to leave and looked over a Temari before he left. He met her eyes, and although she gave him a half smile, he noticed something in her eyes. Something was wrong.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
“Temari, what is wrong with you,” said Shikamaru, continuing to frown at her.  
  
She turned to lean on the railing of the balcony. There was a light drizzle of rain covering the city, but nothing reached them except for the cool night air. She shivered slightly, but clenched her muscles to hide it.  
  
“Shikamaru,” she said, quietly, looking out into the city. The glow of city lights illuminated her face. “Have I…Have I been hurting you?”  
  
He looked at her with narrowed eyes and a tight frown. They remained like that in silence for a moment before he said, “what do you mean?”  
  
“I mean,” she said, turning toward him quickly, traces of anger in her eyes. “Because I haven't said ‘I love you.’ Because things are so turbulent in our relationship regarding my village and the fact that we have to keep things secret. You once said to me that you would wait…but you also said once that you wanted to marry me, and that nothing would make you happier. But then, there are times when I feel that you are hurting because of all of this. Your friends tell me that you are hurting. Ino tells me that I am hurting you because I haven't told you that I love you. All too frequently, when I start to question things, you show me that you are fine — that you love me and hat you are willing to wait and that you know why I haven't said I love you. But…why is it that everyone else is saying something different? Just what exactly are you feeling, Shikamaru? What do you want?”  
  
He looked at her with furrowed brows and his mouth gaped open slightly. “I…I meant all of those things I said to you. I love you. I want to marry you. I want to be with you. I am eager to start my life with you. And, I am willing to wait for you until you are ready. I understand that things are complicated. And, I understand why it is hard for you to say ‘I love you’ back. I won’t lie and say that I’m happy about waiting — waiting sucks. But I understand why it has to happen and I am willing to do it because you are worth it.”  
  
Her breath caught at that, and she opened and closed her mouth as she looked at him sadly. But suddenly, something dawned on her, and she turned away from him again and leaned over the rail.  
  
“I heard what you said earlier, Shikamaru,” said Temari, lowly.  
  
“What,” he said, eyebrow raising quizzically.  
  
“I heard your conversation with Chouji and Sai,” she said loudly, turning to look at him with a look that somewhere between anger and hurt.  
  
He stared at her stoically for a moment, waiting for her to continue.  
  
She turned away from him again, and closed her eyes tightly, then opened them to look down at her fingers, which she was wringing tightly in front of herself.  
  
“If the Suna Council says that we can’t be together, what is going to happen to us,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm.  
  
He stared at her for a moment, then tilted his head and frowned as his eyes drifted to the floor. He moved to sit in one of the chairs.  
  
“I don’t know, Temari,” he said, quietly.  
  
“What do you mean you ‘don’t know?’” She said, whipping around to look at him angrily. “How can you say that?”  
  
“What exactly do you want me to say,” he asked, looking up at her stoically.  
  
She crossed the balcony with a dash and stood over him, finger pointed at him angrily. “I don’t want, I _**expect**_ you to say something that shows me that you are truly committed to being with me. That you would do anything to be with me.”  
  
He appeared unfazed by her actions, and continued to look up at her stoically. “You are obviously expecting to hear something from me, Temari. What is it?”  
  
She turned away from him and threw her hands up in anger, exhaling a large breath.  
  
She placed her elbows on the rail, and rested her forehead in her hands.  
  
Through gritted teeth, she said lowly, “I expected you to say that you would fight for me. For us. That you would do anything and everything to be with me. To make us happen.”  
  
“Oh, did you,” said Shikamaru coolly, earning a sharp glare from Temari over her shoulder.  
  
Shikamaru sighed loudly, and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and to pinch his nose bridge.  
  
“Temari, I love you. I always will,” said Shikamaru, looking up at her. “But, I won't fight for you if you don't want me to.”  
  
She turned to look at him flabbergasted. “But, I’m telling you that I—” but he interrupted her with a hand in the air.  
  
“You say now that you would want me to fight for you. To…defy the Suna Council and do everything in my power to make you mine. But, if you were thinking more clearly in this moment, you would be telling me right now that we simply cannot do that.”  
  
He tilted his head slightly and looked up at her with narrowed eyes. “Tell me that I am wrong. Tell me that you would want us to defy the council. To find a way to be together.”  
  
He pursed his lips at her slightly, and raised his voice a little as he said, “by any means necessary.”  
  
She looked at him with a deep frown, but said nothing. She knew he was right, but she couldn’t bring herself to agree with him.  
  
“Tem,” said Shikamaru, a small note of exasperation in his voice. “I would fight for you any day. I would give my life for you. But…you and I both feel too passionately about preventing any more conflict between villages and establishing peace for years to come. Pushing this would go against everything that we’ve worked for,” he said, looking at her sadly. “To push this could result is strife among our two villages, and it could even damage the Union if things got out of control. These are things you have told me before, and I agree with you.   
  
She sighed heavily as her head dropped. She knew he was right. It was painful to think about. She didn’t want to lose him. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. She knew, as much as she fought it, that she loved him.  
  
“I just…” she began, but she found that she couldn’t finish. She was angry. She wanted to punch something. Yet she was so upset that she wanted to cry, and scream, and tear her hair out.   
  
She knew she would have to find a way to be with him. She wouldn't take the rejection of the council lying down, and she knew she would would do everything in her power to make their relationship happen.  
  
“Shikamaru,” she said, looking at him with pain in her eyes. “You are not the only one who should work hard to make us happen. You know that I will do everything I can to make the council accept us. Please. If they say no, don't give up hope. Don't give up on me. On us.  
  
He looked up at her and saw the pain and desperation in her eyes. His heart ached as he saw her her hands ball into fists and he heard the pleading in her voice. He rose quickly and put his arms around her and pulled her tightly to his chest, resting his cheek on the top of her head.  
  
“I already told you, woman. I am willing to wait for you because you are worth it,” he said, lowly.


	27. Walking Into a Trap

The Dokusuto compound sat at the outskirts of the village behind large cement walls and an iron gate.

They met up with the Police Chief on their way and, as the compound came into view he advised them, not for the first time on their walk to the compound, to watch what they say, who they look at and to stay together once they entered the compound.

"The guards are not friendly," he said sternly.

The reached the entrance and were met by two guards wearing thick grey coats with hoods. They wore rebreathers that covered their faces like masks, leaving only small slits for their eyes. They appeared to be looking at them with unnerving scrutiny.

The Police Chief greeted them and told them why they were visiting. He pointed to Shikamaru and the others and said they were invited guests for a meeting with Lord Dokusuto.

The guards said nothing and looked at one another. One of them walked away into the compound while the other remained at the gate and watched them — looking at each of them from head to toe.

The other guard reappeared, along with a new guard, and made a motion to the other guard, who reached to open the gate.

"Ah, great. Looks like Dokusuto has kept our meeting," said Chief Hiroki, glancing at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru pursed his lips, but followed the Police Chief, as well as the newly appeared guard, into the compound with the rest of his team in tow.

They entered the large estate, passing at least 10 more guards on their way in. They were taken down a large hallway lined with expensive vases on pillars or large paintings or scrolls on the walls that seemed "one-of-a-kind" and likely very valuable.

They were asked to hand over their weapons — which they did willingly at Shikamaru's nod. Chojuro glanced at Kurotsuchi warily, and she gave him a small smile of reassurance to try to set him at ease.

The guard dropped them off in a large room that was elaborately decorated with expensive tapestries, furniture, and other adornments. Everything about the presentation of the estate so far presented Dokusuto and his family as wealthy with the means to flaunt it.

But when they were dropped off in the room, the guard locked them the door — and Shikamaru noticed two guards moving to stand on either side of the door as it closed.

"Hinata," Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

"I know," she said, activating her byakugan and looking around.

"That's hardly necessary," whispered the Police Chief, looking between the two of them warily. "Doing that could breed mistrust."

"He already bred it when he took our weapons and locked us in this room," said Shikamaru lowly.

"30 guards surrounding the room," whispered Hinata. She looked at Shikamaru and frowned. "Seems like a bit much for a casual meeting."

"Why are there so many," asked Kurotsuchi, glancing at the Police Chief with a raised eyebrow.

"Shikamaru, they are fully armed. More than simple household guards," added Hinata, warily.

"Just what exactly have we walked into, Shikamaru," asked Naruto, brow furrowing as he stepped closer to Hinata. She glanced at him, but continued to look around the room with her byakugan.

"What did you tell them we are meeting Dokusuto for," whispered Shikamaru to the Police Chief.

"I told him that we wanted to discuss forming an agreement between the other two clans. That we want to form a three-way leadership between the clans and that we want him to spearhead it," said Chief Hiroki.

"Is that all," asked Shikamaru, eyebrow raising.

The Police Chief pursed his lips.

"What else, Chief Hiroki? We need to know what we have walked into," said Shikamaru. The others of his team were surrounding the Police Chief.

"Well…we are also here to amend the relationship between Masanori and Dokusuto. Dokusuto is wary of assassins coming from Masanori. Their have been…attempts…but not from Masanori. From Goro, made to like Masanori. We have tried to convince Dokusuto otherwise, but he won't have it," said Chief Hiroki warily.

"And what exactly does that have to do with us," said Shikamaru, brow furrowing.

"Dokusuto…trusts no one. Particularly outsiders — and he knows you are outsiders. He could think that you are possible assassins working for Masanori," said Chief Hiroki, looking at Shikamaru stoically.

Eyes widened around the circle of team members.

"Sh-Shikamaru…" whispered Chojuro, glancing toward the door with a firm look on his face. "They may try to kill us before we even have a chance to explain ourselves. And some of us are limited in the jutsu that we can use here — and without weapons…"

Shikamaru crossed his arms and reached up to pinch his nose bridge. Hinata deactivated her byakugan briefly, and glanced at Naruto, who was looking at the Police Chief with narrowed eyes.

"Naruto, can you use it here," muttered Shikamaru.

"Yes, give me just a moment," said Naruto. Others in the room glanced at Naruto, some understanding what the two were talking about and others looking at the two quizzically.

"Here's hoping we won't have to," muttered Shikamaru. "But just in case, let's form a plan while he gets ready." He motioned for everyone to move in close to him.


	28. Outmatched

The mahogany door opened slowly with a loud creak. Two guards entered the room, followed by an older man clothed in a dark blue silk haori over stark white hakama. He walked with his nose in the air and with an air of sophistication and superiority.

Followed behind him were two younger people; a man and a woman.

The man was clad in robes similar to older man, and looked like a much younger version of the older man — except instead of walking into the room like he owned it, he appeared very bored and irritated about being there.

The young woman beside him was familiar to some of the team. Jun walked into the room dressed in a dark blue silk kimono with the same air as her father — though, it seemed as if they were competing with one another and not complimenting one another. But the differences in their appearances were stark when she stood next to both her father and her brother. Shikamaru began to see why the village gossip burgeoned.

The older man looked around the room and looked at Shikamaru and Hiroki, who were the only ones standing near the door. Shikamaru planned to use his jutsu to stop the vast majority of the attackers coming into the room, likely allowing time for others to escape.

Ino sat on the couch behind them next to Chouji. She sat in a strategic position that faced the door to stop guards with her jutsu. Chouji positioned himself at her defense, but also sat in a spot where he could prowl through the attackers as the team made their escape.

Naruto stood by a bookcase and had his back to the door. He had a book in his hand and appeared to be reading casually. The bookcase was also in the room’s almost absolute center, with a path down the center that he could move down quickly toward the door.

Hinata stood beside him, looking over his shoulder. She too was looking away from the door, and had her byakugan activated. Naruto was amazed by her calmness. There were no traces of worry in her eyes, only determination as she looked from side to side, trying to gage the movement outside the room, ready to warn him and the others when their attackers moved in. She would move with him as a team, and would focus on knocking out as many attackers as possible.

Hinata stood at his side and glanced at him for a moment, noticing the orange around his eyes and the massive amounts of chakra and nature energy pooling into and around him. She had seen this many times, but these skills of his never ceased to amaze her. She gave him a small smile before looking away. Naruto felt a surge of warmth flood through his body at the sight of her smile, but he didn't let himself relish in it.

Shikamaru knew that the others were at a disadvantage, so they would be defended by the others. They would use taijutsu as needed until they could grab weapons off of the guards or get to their own weapons.

But they were farthest away from the door, with Chojuro and Kurotsuchi sitting on the couch together and Akatsuchi standing closest to the door, but off to the side observing a collection of sculptures.

“My, my Hiroki, a room full of shinobi,” said the older man, clicking his tongue and smirking at the Police Chief. He glanced around the room and paused at a few faces. He paused, stared hard he back of Naruto’s head and said, “and many of them powerful famous war veterans.” He narrowed his eyes slightly at Naruto, then turned his attention back to Chief Hiroki and glared. “Is this what my village’s money is being spent on? High ranking jounin to take care of a small village squabble?”

“Yori, you know exactly why I have called them here,” said Chief Hiroki, scowling. “This is no small squabble. You, Tsuneo and—”

“Don't start with me on Tsuneo today, Hiroki,” roared Dokusuto. “I am in no mood.”

“But what you seem to be in the mood for is having a full guard to surround our room while we're here,” said Hiroki. “Locking our door, guards in the room now…why are you treating us this way?”

“You have brought strangers into my home. And high-ranking shinobi for that matter. I am no fool,” said Dokusuto, narrowing his eyes at Chief Hiroki.

“What do you mean by that? They're here to help us—”

“Or they are secretly working for one of my enemies,” shouted Dokusuto. His son frowned behind him and furrowed his brow as if he disagreed, and Jun remained stoic. She glanced around the room at all of the shinobi, eyes falling to Naruto.

“Enemies? Yori, we have been through this before. That attack wasn't done by Tsuneo. It was by Goro thugs looking to steal things — they weren't even following Goro’s orders. They were just some thugs looking to steal from a rich family.

These shinobi are from the Shinobi Union. We've talking about that group before, and the village joining. Remember?”

Dokusuto crossed his arms and looked away with a huff. “I won't believe it. Tsuneo has had it out for me for years.”

“We brought you proof, Yori. You're a fool to not see the truth in it all,” said Chief Hiroki, frowning deeply at him.

He turned to look at Jun and tilted his head to the side. Jun glanced at him, pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. Shikamaru looked between the two and wondered what secret message was being passed between them.

“Father,” she said with a breathy sigh, placing a hand on his shoulder. She glanced at her brother as if asking for his help, then continued. “Jiro and I looked over the evidence thoroughly. ‘With a fine tooth comb,’ as you instructed. We found nothing that points to either men as the perpetrator. I met most of these shinobi earlier in my efforts to clear the village of the Nine Tails problem I spoke with you about. Most were under my jutsu, and I was able to see into their mind and understand their true intentions on being in our village. They are here to help. They work for the Union, not for the others. They are—”

“They are not our enemy, Father, and neither are the other two village leaders,” said Jiro, placing a hand on Dokusuto’s other shoulder.

There was a long pause, and the Dokusuto snorted in laughter. “My children…how naive you are.”

“Not naive, Father. Informed,” said Jun, looking at her father with determination in her eyes.

Dokusuto rounded on Jun and said, “you are naive, child. You are weak. You will fall too easily to your enemies in the future. This is why you are not my heir.” Jun ducked her head in shame, closing her eyes tightly.

“But Jiro,” he said, turning to look at the other. “I am ashamed of you. You know better. I will not tolerate this weakness. You must—”

“FATHER,” said Jiro loudly, anger on his face. “I know what I am saying. It is you who is wrong. The evidence is clear—”

Suddenly, Dokusuto slapped his son across the face. He falls into Jun, who catches him and gasps in shock.

“You will not speak to me that way in front of guests, Jiro,” roared Dokusuto, glaring down at his son.

“And you will not hit my son,” said a loud female voice from outside the room.

“Eshima, you are not needed. I will call you if I need you,” said Dokusuto, turning away from the door and his children with a sour look on his face.

“You do not bar me from rooms or meetings, Yori. Especially if my children are involved,” said a beautiful, older woman, who entered the room wearing a dark purple kimono. She walked into the room with an air of confidence in her steps, and did not look at her husband as she entered. She walked over to her children and touched her son’s forehead. He scowled at her and she smiled at him. She glanced at Jun, who had been staring hard at her but looked away quickly before their eyes could meet. She pursed her lips and turned to look at Hiroki and Shikamaru.

“I apologize for my husband. Please, lower your guard. We mean you no harm. My family knows you come to us seeking peace and partnership,” she said, smiling as she looked back and forth between the two.

“Eshima,” hissed Dokusuto, “what are you doing?! I have issued no such command. My guards—”

“Have been dismissed. You should be able to see that, right, Princess of the Hyuuga Clan,” said Eshima, looking at Hinata’s back at smirking.

Shikamaru, Hinata and Naruto tensed simultaneously. But Shikamaru turned slightly to looked at Hinata, who glanced and Naruto and then turned around. She looked at Eshima, byakugan still activated and said, “it would appear that you have done so. But why? Why should we trust you?”

“And excellent question. The simple answer being that we are thoroughly outmatched,” said Eshima, smiling.

“Outmatched,” asked Dokusuto, irritably. He walked over to stand beside his wife.

“Yes. See, that shinobi over by your bookcase is the great hero, Naruto Uzumaki, Yori. I know you’ve heard of him. But do you know that he is know for his use of very powerful shadow clones,” said Eshima, glancing at Dokusuto.

Dokusuto narrowed his eyes. “I may have heard something about that,” he said. Eshima raised an eyebrow at him skeptically.

“Well, beyond that, he also has Sage Jutsu abilities, Kyuubi chakra which is said to be virtually unlimited, and the power of the Sage of Six Paths which he acquired during the war. All of which he can use any any point to destroy us all. So…if that is the case…why are we still standing here if he was sent by your enemies to attack and kill us,” she said tilting her head at Dokusuto questioningly.

Dokusuto’s face steadily began to redden as he scowled at his wife. “Eshima, why you—”

“See, Lady Hinata, we understand the scope of what we are dealing with. We fear it. You have us cornered. So, do not worry. You can trust that we will not make a move out of fear of what you might do to harm us,” said Eshima, turning to and smiling at Hinata.

Hinata looked at Shikamaru, who smirked at Eshima. She was clever, he’d give her that. If she was tricking all of them into getting comfortable, she was doing a good job. But he had been planning for this, too.

“Alright,” he said. “If your guard is lowered, and you are ready to begin the meeting in peace, then we will do the same.”

Eshima smiled at Shikamaru warmly and nodded in agreement. She clapped her hands, and the two guards walked out of the room, much to Dokusuto’s dismay.

“Now, shall we begin,” she said, looking between Hiroki and Shikamaru.

 

 


	29. The Meeting

  
“Before we start, perhaps we should all get better acquainted. And, I’m afraid my family has done nothing to make you feel welcome into our home,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at each of the team members. “Please, have a seat,” she said, waving to the toward the table and chairs. As they began to move toward the table, Dokusuto members taking up one side themselves and the team taking up the remaining open sides, she motioned for a servant who was standing at attention by the door and said lowly, “Refreshments for our guests.”

Dokusuto looked at her angrily, on the verge of sputtering out an objection but Eshima completely ignored him.

The servant returned with two others in tow, carrying ornate silver pitchers of various beverages, beautifully decorated trays of fresh fruit and finger foods, and fine china and silverware with cloth napkins. She motioned to the servants to offer food to the team, and some members politely or awkwardly but politely declined, while some took the food with interest. Everyone at the table was given an glass of water, which was in a fine crystal glass decorated with the letter D.

Shikamaru was eying everything closely, but discreetly, taking in every detail from presentation to the placements of food, every glance between family member or servant, and every continuous show of power and decadence that the Dokusuto clan flashed shamelessly. Everything about it all made him feel uneasy.

“So, I am familiar with most of you, but only because of your heroic feats in the Great War. But I do not know all of you. Why don’t we start by introducing ourselves to one another? I am Eshima, Lord Dokusuto’s wife, and mother of Jun,” she pointed to the the female sitting on her right, “And Jiro, who is Lord Dokusuto’s heir,” she said, pointing toward the young man sitting next to Dokusuto. “Please, let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Let’s start with you, young man.”

Chojuro’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but he quickly recovered, speaking confidently as he said “I’m Chojuro, of Kirigakure. I am my village’s representative for the Shinobi Union and— “

“The next in line for the role of Mizukage, after Mei, yes? I have heard of you. You are considered one of the last of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Mei speaks highly of her predecessor, speaking fondly of your growth during and after the war,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at him.

“I…yes, I am considered to be the next in line…but how do you know all of this about Mei-sama? Do you know her,” asked Chojuro, brow furrowing.

“I do — that is to say, I have had dealings with her in the past. She has done trading and had other dealings with the Dokusuto family, and I have met her while representing us.

“Oh, I see,” said Chojuro, returning her smile. Behind his smile, he felt a twinge of uneasiness. He had not heard about these dealings and had already been briefed on many of the current and past trade deals and arrangements or partnerships his village had with outside sources. He had not heard of Dokusuto or Eshima before, and was concerned about what sort of products they were trading with his village.

“Well, Chojuro, it is good to make your acquaintance. I hope we can do business together in the future,” she said, tilting her head slightly. This move only added to his uneasiness.

Eshima shifted her focus to the person next to Chojuro and said, “And you, my dear. You seem familiar. Who might you be?”

“I am Kurotsuchi,” she said, grinning. “I’m from Iwagakure, and serve the Shinobi Union in the capacity as Chojuro, here. We are actually ambassadors for each other’s villages as well,” she said glancing at him for a moment, then looking back at Eshima, whose smile seemed to widen slightly. Kurotsuchi couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at that.

“I have heard your name before as well. Am I right to assume that you, too, are considered your village’s next candidate for Kage,” asked Eshima.

“Yes, my grandfather has been considering me for some time, and made a formal announcement after the war that he would be presenting me to his council, who has accepted the nomination,” said Kurotsuchi.

“I see. So, we have two future village leaders at our table. And two that have such a close bond. How lucky we are, Yori,” she said, looking at her husband, whose eyes narrowed slightly at her, but he continued to stare at the two team members rather stoically.

Kurotsuchi’s eyes narrowed slightly at the way she said the word “bond.” There was insinuation there, and she could feel Chojuro tense beside her, letting her know that she was not the only one who noticed it.

“And you, sir, what is your name,” said Eshima.

“Akatsuchi, madam. I’m from Iwagakure as well. I serve Kurotsuchi here and our current Tsuchikage as their personal guard,” he said, smiling at her and bowing his head slightly.

“And, do you enjoy this work, guardsman Akatsuchi,” she said, tilting her head as she looking at him.

His eyes widened slightly at this question, but he covered it with a bright smile. “Oh, yes. It allows me to travel and see parts of the worlds I would not have been able to see in any other position in our village. And I have a great friendship here with Kurot,” he said, glancing at her quickly, then looking back at Eshima.

Eshima smiled warmly and said, “Ah, I see. Well, it is honorable work that you do.”

As Eshima turned her attention to the person next to him, Akatsuchi glanced at Kurotsuchi, who also glanced at him but did so warily. They both were not comfortable with her over-analysis of them.

“And you I know already, Miss Hyuuga,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at Hinata. “You are the Hyuuga Clan heiress.”

Hinata pursed her lips but nodded tightly, saying, “Yes, but—”

“Your family is very powerful. Few rival the mighty Hyuuga Clan,” said Eshima, a strange smile gracing her lips. “And your bloodline trait, the Byakugan, yes? Very powerful. Deemed the most powerful visual kekkei genkai in the world.”

Hinata looked at Eshima hard and said, “Yes, my family is strong and our ability rivals no other, but this has little to do with our meeting, don’t you think?”

A few eyebrows raised around the table, including Naruto’s, who turned to look at Hinata with surprise written all over his face. Eshima noticed his response, glancing at him, then back at Hinata with a smirk.

“Yes, you are right. I am just familiarizing myself with the guests in my home. Surely you have seen your father, Hiashi, do something similar when he has had diplomats come to visit,” asked Eshima, tilting her head slightly.

Hinata bit the inside of her cheek at that. Though, she was paraded around briefly during those meetings as “one of Lord Hiashi’s daughter’s,” she never sat in on those meetings. Hanabi sat in on the meetings as the future heiress at the time. Hinata, now officially reinstated as heiress, had yet to participate in any of those meetings and knew little about her father’s behaviors in such situations. And…this stranger was rubbing her lack of knowledge — her recent acceptance back into the role of heiress — in her face. Hinata’s eyes narrowed in irritation.

“I’d imagine so, yes,” said Hinata tightly.

“So then, we have an understanding, I’d wager,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at Hinata. Hinata tensed at this, but returned the smile though it did not reach her eyes.

“Now, you sir…” said Eshima, turning away from Hinata and flashing a grin at the person next to her. “Are Naruto Uzumaki. Your face, your name, your heroic efforts are known across the world.”

Naruto smiled slightly and rubbed the back of his neck warily. “Well, I—”

“And your story: The orphan boy, despised by his village for the demon fox spirit who lived within him and utterly alone and friendless most of his life, defied all odds and made friends, earned the love and respect of his village, and even warmed the heart and befriended the demon inside himself. He destroyed the world’s enemies, saved the world from certain destruction and never-ending horrors, and brought about a peace this world has not seen in ages,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at Naruto. “I know I speak for all of us here when I say ‘thank you for all that you did, Naruto Uzumaki.’”

“Well, it wasn’t all me. Everyone helped. I couldn’t do it by myself. I had a lot of help from my friends, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and Sasuke—” he started, but was interrupted.

“Yes, the Uchiha. That boy has an interesting story, too, wouldn’t you say,” said Eshima, tilting her head to the side.

Hinata glanced at Naruto warily, who narrowed his eyes for a moment before continuing. “Yes, he has had a very difficult journey. But without his involvement in the war, we would not have succeeded.”

“Of course,” said Eshima. “He is among the great heroes. He redeemed himself with his heroic efforts during the war, and I hear that he travels the world now…helping people or something to that effect?”

“Y-yes,” said Naruto. “He is helping people recover from the war.”

“How very noble of him,” said Eshima, smiling warmly.

Naruto smiled back, but Hinata noticed his wrapped fist clench tightly under the table.

“And you — my, what a beauty you are. What is your name,” asked Eshima, turning to the person next to Naruto.

“Oh, thank you, madam,” said Ino, bowing her head and blushing lightly. “My name is Ino Yamanaka. I am a medic-nin from Konohagakure, and—”

“You trained under Sakura Haruno and one of the three Sannin, Tsunade, did you not,” asked Eshima.

“Yes,” said Ino with a smile.

“Big shoes to fill,” said Eshima, tilting her head slightly. Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed, noticing the pattern and realizing what was about to happen before it would occur.

“Yes, Lady Tsunade is widely known as the world’s greatest medical-nin and known also as the world’s strongest kunoichi. I am lucky to—”

“I was referring to Sakura Haruno’s, who is widely considered to be Tsunade’s predecessor and known to poses skill that surpasses that of her sensei,” said Eshima.

Ino could smell her tricks, having already spotted the pattern earlier, “I suppose that is true, too. Sakura and I are best friends. And, we also pose different strengths as well. My abilities are better applied toward our village’s Intelligence Division.”

“Ino here is the head of our Analysis Team in the Intelligence Division but also serves as the Union’s Lead Telecommunications Expert. She is widely known for her abilities in that respect, and many villages seek her out for assistance with setting up communication networks or working with criminals,” said Shikamaru, tilting his head in the direction of Ino, who smiled at him appreciatively.

“Yes, I have heard of the Yamanaka Clan’s mind-affecting techniques and your communication abilities used during the war. I did not realize I was speaking to the Yamanaka that people have referenced in war stories or the like,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at Ino.

Ino bowed her head slightly, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at Eshima casually. She could see that Eshima was not pleased about the way she was reacting by the way Eshima’s eye twitched ever so slightly before she looked away to the person next to Ino.

“And, who might you be? You look very familiar as well,” said Eshima.

“Chouji Akamichi, of Konoha. I’m—”

“OH YES,” she exclaimed, “I have not seen you since you were a baby, dear Chouji. I know your father, Chouza. We’ve had dealings in the past, our two clans.”

“Right, we used to purchase weapons from your clan. Unfortunately, we had to sever those ties,” said Chouji.

“Yes, I remember. Though, your father never gave us a reason. Why did you end your trading with us,” asked Eshima, tilting her head.

“I couldn’t speak for my father, or my clan,” said Chouji, smiling calmly.

“Are you not the heir? If you have heard of our dealings, surely you know the reason of our severance,” said Eshima, eyes narrowing only slightly.

“I’m sorry but, I don’t really know what to tell you,” said Chouji, shrugging and continuing to smile at Eshima. He, of course, knew why his clan broke the deal. His father did not feel that Dokusuto followed ethical business practices, and he did not want his clan’s name to be tarnished for dealing with a crook.

She looked at him hard for a moment, as if she were testing his resolve, then looked away from him toward Shikamaru.

“I believe that leaves you, who I understand to be this group’s leader, yes,” said Eshima, smiling warmly at him.

“Yes, Shikamaru Nara of Konoha,” he said stoically.

“Ah, your name is known far and wide. You are a man who shoulders much responsibility…and at such a young age,” said Eshima.

“Luck of the draw, I suppose,” said Shikamaru.

“Well, at least you don’t have to shoulder all of it alone. You have the help of your…partner, yes? Miss Temari of Suna? The Kazekage’s sister,” said Eshima, tilting her head.

“Yep. Well, now that we have our introductions out of the way,” said Shikamaru, shifting uncomfortably and looking down the line at his team mates. “Shall we begin the—”

“And, why isn’t Miss Temari here? I would have expected your…partner…to be here,” asked Eshima.

“She had other business to attend to,” said Shikamaru, looking back at Eshima stoically. He would not let her phase him.

“I see. Such a shame. It would’ve been nice to see you two together. Your partnership is well known as well,” she said, smirking at him.

“Yes, we have accomplished many notable things together,” said Shikamaru.

“Yes, you both seem to work so well together—”

“Lady Dokusuto, I apologize. But we didn’t come here to discuss frivolous details about our lives,” said Ino, looking at Eshima firmly. “We came here to help you reach an agreement with the other clans who see to lead your village. Shall we proceed with our discussions on that topic?”

Eshima looked at Ino with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, looking shocked by her audacity and directness.

“Of course, let us move on then to why you are really here,” said Eshima, voice conveying nothing of her earlier warmth. “We would hate to waste more of your time.”

“Yori, Eshima. What has happened with the alliance that you formed recently with Tsuneo over the leadership of the village? Why are you now at each other’s throats again,” asked Chief Hiroki, voice conveying his irritation with the whole conversation.

Before his wife could speak, Dokusuto groaned loudly and irritably. Everyone’s attention fell to him.

“Masanori, that bastard. He is a murderous, lying, cheating, thief who cares nothing for this village,” grumbled Dokusuto. Eshima rolled her eyes slightly.

“But, Yori, what did he DO,” asked Chief Hiroki, packing emphasis on the last word.

“You mean beyond the recent attacks on my life,” asked Dokusuto, scowling. Now the rest of his family turned to him and conveyed their irritation at his responses. “Oh, for god’s sake, Yori…” muttered Eshima, crossing her arms.

“He ruined a recent potential business deal of mine,” said Dokusuto with a huff.

“Business deal,” asked Chief Hiroki. Even Eshima turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes. On some weapons,” said Dokusuto, scowling. “The prospect backed out at the last minute saying that a Masanori approached him and questioned him relentlessly, and made unsavory comments about my business practices. He backed out before we could complete he deal.”

“Why in the world would Tsuneo know about nor have anything to do with your business dealings,” asked Eshima, brow furrowing.

“He must have a spy among us, Eshima,” said Dokusuto, eyes narrowing as he turned to look at her fully.

Her eyes widened slightly before she scowled. “You're imagining things, Yori. He wouldn't do that.”

“He did, Eshima. I can't imagine why that business prospect would lie and use his name,” said Dokusuto.

“This is foolishness, Yori. Why are you so sour about this failed business deal? Just who was it with,” asked Chief Hiroki.

Dokusuto paled slightly, but recovered quickly and said, “that is irrelevant. What matters is that I will not form a partnership with a person like him.

He rose from his chair abruptly. “Until Masanori apologizes to me formally and agrees to stop his petty attempts to ruin me and my family — all of this in person and here at my estate — I will not form any sort of agreement with him.

“But—” started Chief Hiroki, angrily.

“NO! End of discussion,” said Dokusuto, glaring at the Chief. He turned toward to walk out of the room and paused at the door, saying, “I have stated my terms. If he does not meet them, then war will come.” He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind himself.

Eshima looked at Jiro warily, who looked back and forth at Eshima and Jun. Jun was staring hard at the table, a small frown on her face.

Eshima cleared her throat awkwardly, then turned to look at the team. “Well…my apologies, but you heard my husband. His word is our word,” she said, mouth forming a tight line.

“Can huh not persuade your husband to see reason? War would cause the death of so many more civilian lives, and—” started Shikamaru.

“I cannot. He has made his decision,” said Eshima, looking away. She began to rise from her chair as well, touching the shoulder of her son. “Jiro, Jun. If you would, please show our guests out. If you would excuse me, I must go see to my husband,” she said, smiling softly and looking toward the center of the table but meeting the eye of no one in particular. She walked toward the door, opened it, and left, leaving the door open.

Jun sighed, and glanced at her brother, who pursed his lips.

“Well, that was…eventful,” said Jiro, pinching his nose bridge. He turned to Chief Hiroki and said, “I will talk with father and look into the Masanori situation myself, and will be in communication with you. I am sorry this meeting didn't go according to plan.” He frowned.

“Thank you for your due diligence, Jiro. We are visiting Tsuneo soon, and I plan to question him then,” said Chief Hiroki.

Jiro looked at Shikamaru and smiled slightly. “Lord Nara—” he started, but was interrupted by a raised hand by Shikamaru.

“Please, it's Shikamaru,” he said, grimacing. Ino and Chouji looked at one another and smirked as Ino mouthed “Lord Nara” and rolled her eyes a little.

“Alright then, Shikamaru. Please do forgive my father’s behavior. He actually cares very deeply about his village, and when he heard about the Union he expressed interested in having our village join. He appreciates the good that you and your Union are doing, and wants our village to be at peace as well,” said Jiro, smiling.

“Well, that is good to hear. Hopefully all of this animosity will settle soon so that the leadership of your village will be installed and you can join us,” said Shikamaru.

Jiro nodded, rising to his feet. He looked over a Jun, who remained seating. “Will you come, Jun?”

“I don't follow her orders,” she said, looking away.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked at the team and said, “please, I'll show you to the door.”

* * *

 

“Shikamaru,” called Ino, walking faster to catch up to him and walk beside him. They were walking back to the hotel.

“Why was Eshima trying to hard to intimidate us?”

“She is Masanori. Chief Hiroki told us that they specialize in intimation tactics and are known for their vast knowledge of a target’s history and personal life,” said Shikamaru.

“But, why would she be trying to intimidate us? To what purpose,” asked Ino.

 _To weaken us,_ he thought. _To test our resolve. To learn more about how we would handle pressure. Perhaps she's a spy for Masanori — it seems like her husband may suspect that she is. But there must be some other reason…_

“I’m not sure,” he said honestly. “Any guess I had right now would be conjecture.”

Ino frowned and looked away.

 _But I'm going to figure it out, and fast,_ he thought.

 

 

 


	30. Money, Power and Secrets

They returned to the hotel and took the elevator up to their floor. They found the vast majority of their team members either in the lounge area or in their respective rooms with the doors open. Shikamaru gathered everyone together, saying that he wanted to give everyone an update all at once on the happenings at the Dokusuto estate.

They gathered back in the lounge, most sitting in the same spots that they did before but now TenTen sat next to Lee and was engaged in happy, casual conversation with him — much to Hinata's pleasure. She smiled across the circle at Lee, who returned the smile warmly before turned back to TenTen with a larger smile on his face and renewed enthusiasm in their conversation.

Seeing that everyone was present and settled, Shikamaru began to tell the tale of the events at the Dokusuto estate, with help from some of the other members of the team.

"We seemingly walked into a trap, but Lady Dokusuto stopped the situation before it got out of hand," he finished, rubbing a temple warily.

"It sounds like there's a huge disconnect between husband and wife," said Sai. "It seems like they don't really talk or consult one another before making decisions."

"Yes, it definitely seemed that way. Dokusuto was very angry with his wife for what she did and remained angry the entire time we met with them. But one thing we noticed was how much Dokusuto seemed to hate Masanori, but his wife seemed to not share those same feelings. In fact, she was very adamant about defending him," said Shikamaru. "But it also seemed like the children weren't totally on heir father's side either — especially since they had proof of Masanori's innocence."

"A few us us did some research while you were gone, Shikamaru. It sounds like their two family's have a fair number of business dealings together — a good bit of them started after the marriage of Yori and Eshima," said Temari.

"Perhaps the children also defend Masanori in order to keep those partnerships going. Because it seemed like they were very lucrative deals for the Dokusutos — in some cases giving them over 70% of the profits," said Shino, pushing his glasses up his nose with his pointer finger.

"Perhaps…but as business-conscious as Lord Dokusuto seemed, he didn't seem to be anxious to sever any valuable partnerships," said Shikamaru.

"How deep is his hatred for Masanori, though," asked Omoi. "From what you told us about Jun and the rumors…"

Shikamaru frowned and shook his head, saying, "I couldn't say anything definitive, but it appears to run very deep."

"What was Chief Hiroki doing during all of this," asked Temari.

"Sitting their silently, mostly, but he kept looking hard at the daughter, Jun. He seems to know her very well, but I'm not sure to what degree or any sort of details on that matter. They communicate quite well with one another and it seems like Jun is willing to listen to him and do things he asks of her," said Shikamaru. "Though, she seems unwilling to do the same for her mother."

"Where did Chief Hiroki go after the meeting? Is he going to meet us at all again today — before or after we go to Goro's restaurant," asked Temari.

"He said he wanted to check in at his station and that he would meet us here before we leave for lunch at Goro's restaurant," said Shikamaru.

* * *

 

Chief Hiroki waited patiently outside the gates of the Dokusuto estate, scanning the area for onlookers or nosy neighbors who might spread needless gossip.

She walked toward the gates, guards in tow, and she nodded silent toward them as one of them opened the gate for her to let her out, then closed it behind her. She muttered something quietly to them through the bars, to which they nodded in reply. Then she turned to look at him stoically and then immediately began to walk down the sidewalk, saying nothing and not waiting for him to follow.

He rolled his eyes, and moved to catch up, walking beside her.

"Jun," he whispered lowly. "I can't keep meeting you. It's a conflict of interest, and I could lose my position if I were caught."

"But, you're not doing anything wrong," she said, looking ahead.

His eyes narrowed. "Our affair is wrong, Jun. I shouldn't have entertained this long ago. I shouldn't have—"

She turned to look at him abruptly, and he paused. "I'm not making you spend time with me, Hiro. If you don't want to be with me, than you don't have to."

She turned away, looking ahead of them, and said, "But I know that you love me, and you know that I love you. And, I have no one else who cares for me. My own family hates me. If you leave, I will be alone be again."

He looked away and said nothing else, pursing his lips.

"And so will you, Hiro. When your parents and sister Yumi died, you had no one else. I'm glad we found one another."

He closed his eyes and looked down, then opened them and said softly, "I am, too."

"So," Jun said, after a few moments of silence. "What is it that you wanted from me. I'm sure I could take a guess, but—"

"What has happened to your father, Jun? He has been so relentless against Masanori lately that he makes one question his sanity. And, I know you didn't act on your own when you attacked the village, Jun. I know you…you love your village. Did he order you to attack the village," asked Chief Hiroki.

Jun's brow furrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

"Your silence speaks volumes, you know. You are always so quick to defend your father. But are also not a liar. At least, not to me," he said, glancing sideways at her.

She looked away from him, a small frown coming forming on her lips.

They came upon an old Dokusuto servants quarters that had been abandoned since the Akatsuki arrived into town — when many people fled due to fear of the Akatsuki or lack of food and jobs. Jun turned and looked around, then turned toward the house and walked up the walkway to the front door. Chief Hiroki followed her, looking around behind her and around the house for people who might see them. She pulled out a key, unlocked the door and stepped inside. He followed behind her, and closed the door behind them, locking it and peering through the peep hole.

"I don't know why he has been so relentless against Masanori, but I'm sure he has his reasons. I am not privy to my father's affairs," she said, avoiding his eyes as she walked into the small living room and sat on the couch with a plop.

"You know more about his affairs that his own heir, Jun," said Chief Hiroki, irritably. "You might not know everything, but you know more than anyone else. Maybe even more than Eshima."

"That's impossible," muttered Jun, anger in her voice. "That woman knows everything."

Chief Hiroki let out a long sigh as he walked over from the front door to the living room area over toward a large arm chair. He sat down and looked at Jun, who was staring at the empty fireplace with a scowl.

He had to fight the urge to smile. She looked very cute.

"You didn't answer my earlier question," he said.

"Hn," she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Did your father order the attack?"

She lifted up abruptly and sighed loudly and irritably. She moved to lay flat on the couch and looked at the ceiling, her black eyes shining brightly as the morning sun shone through the window and hit her face. When he saw her like this, he saw no traces of Yori Dokusuto in her — and could believe the rumors that her mother and her Mother's brother may have been lovers and that Tsuneo was her true father. When she was angry, or upset or just lost in thought, her face looked so much like Tsuneo Masanori that it was incredibly difficult to argue that their relation was merely just uncle and niece. He frowned. Seeing these things made him only want to protect her — to defend her more and find ways to make more people believe that her father is the man she had dedicated her whole life to — Yori Dokusuto.

She threw an arm over her eyes and sighed deeply.

"You know, when we spoke about attacking that Masanori silk shop, I told him about the Village Police hiring the Kyuubi as a negotiator. I told him I was going to question Naruto and see if he was safe while I had the opportunity. If I did not see them in the Market immediately, I would bet that he would come to the rescue eventually, and question him then," said Jun. Chief Hiroki's frown deepened. He was about to ask her how she knew about Naruto being in town, but he decided that he didn't want to know the answer right now.

"My father immediately assumed he had been sent by Masanori as an assassin, and he didn't think about the village at all," she said.

She sat up, and looked at Chief Hiroki with eyes filled with despair. "My father is a great man. He has the potential to lead this village into the future in a very positive way. But…I believe all of the power he has been given and the need for more has gone to his head. He has become too self-absorbed, and he has become greedy. He is no longer seeing the larger picture — he seems to only see himself," she said.

"So, which of those made him order you to the attack the village," said Chief Hiroki.

Jun sighed deeply, and laid back down. "I'm not going to tell you whether or not he ordered me to do that. I took the blame for the incident, and I was the one who conducted the attack and led our men. This one was on me," she said firmly.

Chief Hiroki pursed his lips, but said nothing more about it. He already knew the answer. She all but confirmed it.

Instead, he rose from his chair and walked over to the couch. He moved to lay in top of Jun, who looked up at him and pouted.

"I just don't want to see you hurting anymore, Jun. you father doesn't treat you well or give you the respect you deserve. But I especially don't want you to get in trouble for something you didn't do just for his sake. It's not worth it," he said.

"I know you care, and I love you for that," she said, half smiling at him. "But let's just leave it alone. I can't talk about my father anymore. The things you say…I am beginning to see the truth behind them, but I don't want to discuss it right now. Right now," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I just want to spend my time with you. Because you make me feel happy and safe."

He smiled at her warmly, and leaned down to kiss her.

* * *

 

Chief Hiroki walked into the police station a little over an hour later. He was greeted by a flood of questions and requests from his subordinates; quick bows from people who passed him; and angry glances from thugs or convicts who were waiting to be questioned.

He soon approached the hallway that lead to his office but was stopped by his secretary before he could enter it.

"Chief, this letter came for you while you were out. It was marked as urgent," said his overly-energetic secretary, Kana, who seemed to pop out of no where.

He took it from her with an appreciative smile, and opened it while he walked toward his office.

His mouth tightened as he read the letter, tossing his jacket in a nearby empty chair and sitting down in his office chair. He sighed, then said loudly, "Kana, I need you."

She appeared almost immediately — again, something that never ceased to surprise the Chief.

"Lord Masanori has agreed to a meeting. The Shinobi Union team needs to be made aware of this — have a message sent to them," he said, still looking down at the letter.

"What does the message need to say," she asked, readying her pen and notepad.

"Wait, before that, I need you to do something else," he said, "Jun and Jiro Dokusuto will both need to be brought in for questioning. Commander Omaku needs to bring them in. Have Omaku meet me here — I would like to speak with him before he goes to get them."

* * *

 

Omaku entered the police station from the back — preferring to enter without walking through the distractions of the other departments or lobby of the station, and remaining unseen.

He walked down the hall of offices toward Chief Hiroki's and tapped twice on the closed door.

"Enter, Omaku," said the Chief, "and close the door behind you."

He entered the room and closed he door behind himself, standing at attention by the door stiffly.

"Have a seat, my friend. I have something I need you to do. And you probably won't like it, but it has to be done," said the Chief warily.

After taking a seat quietly in one of the chairs in front of his boss's desk, Omaku looked at Hiroki stoically.

"I need you to bring Jun and Jiro in for questioning regarding the attack on the village. We need more information in order to close the case — that's what you will tell Lord Dokusuto. And the two siblings. But, I need you to use your skill to learn more about what Jun is hiding inside her mind about the attack. Jiro likely knows nothing — you are bringing him to not arise suspicion."

"Sir, will all due respect, my skills are not powerful enough to work on a shinobi of her caliber. She will not give up what you are looking for," he said stoically.

"You will try, Omaku. She…" he started, but paused, pursuing his lips and looking down at his desk uncomfortably.

"She gave you nothing when you spoke to her yourself," said Omaku.

"Yes," said the Chief, looking off to the left as of lost in thought.

"She said she was behind it all. You think she is just taking blame for something her father did," said Omaku.

"Yes," said the Chief, turning back to look at Omaku with determination in his eyes.

"You think she's lying to protect him. You think she either knows something is going on with her father, or that she knows nothing…which you think might be worse. She has always been kept in the know about her father's business. You think she might not know about something…and it could be something big," said Omaku.

"Yes," said the Chief warily.

"You just want to protect her. You care about her deeply. You love—"

"Enough, Omaku," said the Chief, rubbing his temple. You have what you need. Leave the rest alone."

"Does she know I'm coming," asked Omaku.

"No," said the Chief quietly.

"Alright. Shall I go after the Goro meeting," said Omaku.

"Yes. They need to meet him tonight, Omaku. Do everything in your power to make it happen," said the Chief, looking at him hard. "You'll also need to be there tonight — wrap everything up in time for that."

"Yes, sir," said Omaku, bowing his head slightly.

"Good man. Now go. Dismissed," said the Chief, turning away from him, looking down at some papers on his desk.

Omaku rose to leave and before he could open the door, the Chief said quietly, "and I don't want to see her. Take her…take her down to the lower levels."

"Yes, sir," said Omaku, opening the door and leaving.

* * *

 

Chief Hiroki boarded the elevator to the hotel that the Union was staying at, and pressed the floor number.

He stood tensely with his hands behind his back and looked down at the floor, closing his eyes momentarily and breathing in and out.

When he heard the ding of the elevator alerting him that he had reached his floor, his head snapped up and he put a more stoic look on his face. When the doors opened, he exited and turned to the right, looking around.

Most of the doors were open, and he could hear light chatter. Before he could walk down the hall, one of the shinobi walked out of the rooms and looked at him curiously.

"Chief Hiroki," said the long, blonde-haired kunoichi. "We weren't sure if you were going to make it. I think everyone was getting ready to go. Did you want to speak with Shikamaru and Temari?"

"Yes, that would be great," he said, smiling slightly.

She smiled back, then motioned for him to follow her as she moved to walk toward a set of stairs that lead to the roof. "The hotel was so generous to give us use of their roof for training. Some of our team is upstairs training, and Shikamaru and Temari are upstairs with them. Come on."

They climbed the stairs and reached the open door to the roof. The clanking of swords, loud grunts of exertion and light conversation could be heard as several of the team members dueled one another or sat and drank water talking about their training.

"Shikamaru, Temari, the Police Chief is here," said Ino, looking in the direction of the pair who sat near the sidelines peering over papers, talking closely to one another and occasionally pointing at the training shinobi.

"Ah, Chief Hiroki," said Shikamaru, rising to walk toward him. "I received your note about Masanori."

"Yes, I will meet you here tomorrow at lunch head to his estate. Let me brief you on him…"

* * *

 

"Shikamaru, what did Chief Hiroki say about Masanori," asked Temari as he came to sit back down beside her, having just escorted the Chief back downstairs.

"The whole team must come. We need to be in our guard. We could encounter a similar situation with Masanori as we did with Dokusuto, but with Masanori it is particularly dangerous because they are very powerful genjutsu users."

"We'll brief the others and make sure everyone is prepared, then," said Temari, determination in her eyes.

"Yes," said Shikamaru, turning away from her and looking down at his watch. "Well, it's about that time. We need to leave for Goro's restaurant. Oh, and the Chief did say one more thing — he said Omaku will be around in some capacity to help us. So we are not totally alone."

"Did he said what he would be doing," asked Temari as the two rose from the bench.

"No, he said it was confidential," said Shikamaru, mouth forming a tight line.

Temari frowned slightly and said, "I see."

They called everyone to come back downstairs so they could head to the restaurant.

* * *

 

A fine mist of rain was falling as the team walked down the crowded street toward the busy restaurant. Goro owned the vast majority of the restaurants in the village and, though there were differences in the types of food offered and even the atmosphere of the eateries, there were definite signs that it was owned by Goro that could be recognized at first glance.

All of Goro's restaurants: had large prominent portraits of his face displayed near the front of restaurant; nervous staff who always seemed to be rushing; a few of Goro's goons sitting in the back or corner watching the staff or the patrons.

The restaurant they were walking into was known as Goro's Secretary's Office, though the actual name was Tako's BBQ. If you wanted to meet with Goro, you went to Tako's and made an appointment with his secretary.

When they entered the restaurant, they were greeted by a timid looking waitress who nervously asked them for details on the number in their party and coordinated a table for them to sit at. She guided them to the table, avoiding eye contact with everyone as she tried to hurriedly walk away after seating them. As they walked through the restaurant to their table, they noticed a group of intimidating looking, darkly dressed thugs sitting in the back corner of the restaurant with visible weapons on their hips, backs and resting on the table or next to their chairs. Before the waitress could escape after seating thems, Shikamaru stopped her and asked, "I am here to meet the Secretary. Could you show me to them?"

She glanced at him with horror in her eyes then quickly looked away before muttering, "of course. Follow me."

Shikamaru stood and glanced at Temari, signaling for her to follow as well.

He glanced at TenTen and Rock Lee and said to the waitress, "is the guest limit still 4?"

"Y-yes, I believe so," she said.

He motioned for Lee and TenTen to rise and follow them.

They moved to follow the waitress to the back of the restaurant — Shikamaru taking the lead behind the waitress. She lead them through a set of doors to what looked like a private doing area. She motioned toward some corner tables and said "have a seat. I'll let them know you are here. Were they expecting you?"

"Yes, we had a meeting," said Shikamaru.

"I-I see, she said, avoiding his eye. "They rarely take appointments. What is your name?"

"The Secretary should be expecting Lord Nara," said Shikamaru, voice firm.

The left hand corner of Temari's mouth rose ever so slightly at that — "Lord Nara." He had neglect to tell her that little detail of the plan. Perhaps it was out of embarrassment, knowing that she would tease him relentlessly.

"Y-Yes, Lord Nara. I'll let her know you are here right away," said the servant, running away quickly to go through a pair of doors near the head of the room.

"Did you have to scare her," whispered TenTen. "The poor thing seems already on edge."

"What I said wasn't for her. We are being watched," muttered Shikamaru lowly. "It was to let the others know who they were dealing with. The Nara Clan name carries weight and can intimidate people like Goro, who according to Chief Hiroki, is intimidated by big name clans. Particularly our old, deep rooted and deep pocketed clans in Konoha."

"I see — you're intimidating them with your clan name," said Lee.

"Yes, here's hoping it works," muttered Shikamaru

"Yeah, here's hoping, Lord Nara," whispered Temari, only loud enough for Shikamaru to hear. She saw him visibly tense, and she smiled to herself.

The waitress soon exited from the double doors and said quickly, "someone will be with you shortly," before virtually running out of the room the way they had come in.

Roughly 5 minutes later, two large men walked through the double doors. They were dressed like the guards in the front room, and were flanked with mass amounts of weapons all around their body. They were large and appeared muscular — with large veins protruding from their arms and legs around their muscles.

They looked at the 4 members of the team hard before taking a position by the doors — standing a attention. The one on the left reached to knock twice on the door.

Immediately after, two more guards came out followed by 3 nervous young women — one carrying food, another carrying a suitcase and the other carrying a tray of beverages. Behind them followed two men carrying a desk and two men carrying a chair. Followed by them were two more guards, and finally a rather cool looking woman with a smug look on her face.

She appeared to be in her 30s and had black and black eyes. She wore a long red dress that split on the right side, a black fur coat and black pointed toe high heels. Her hair was cut in a short bob that came to her chin. She wore lots of rings and bracelets that sparked with diamonds, and she wore a long chain necklace that accented her exposed neckline. On the end of the necklace hung a gold key and a locket. Though she didn't appear to need it to walk, she walked with a gold cane that had a tiger's head on the end.

She didn't look at the 4 member of the team until her servants finished setting the desk and chairs up for her, and she sat down at her desk. She placed her cane close beside herself and only after doing so did she glance at Shikamaru, then look away almost immediately without saying anything. She motioned for her servant to bring her suitcase over and the servant brought it over and opened it for her. She reached in and grabbed several items including a notebook, pen, a black box, and a few scrolls.

She motioned for the servant to move the suitcase and she clicked the pen, opened the notebook and started to jot something down.

After about 5 minutes she said with a voice that purred like a cat, "so, you requested a meeting, Lord Nara. Your message alluded to the purpose of this meeting but…it was very vague. Care to enlighten me?"

"Of course. We—" started Shikamaru when suddenly he was interrupted by the double doors opening abruptly.

"Aki, you weren't planning to start the meeting without me, now, were you," said the new arrival — a man with black hair and black eyes who liked almost identical to the women but with distinctly male features. He wore glasses and was a few inches taller than the woman, but when he stood beside her they looked almost identical.

"No, brother of mine. I wasn't quite started yet," she mutter through clenched teeth.

"Good. You may be Goro's wife but I'm his advisor. You need to keep me involved, sister of mine," he said, glaring at her.

She waved her hand dismissively at him. He turned away from her and snapped he fingers at a servant who hurriedly brought him a chair to sit next to his sister.

"My apologies, Lord Nara, for my brother Haru. He has the has the civility of an ogre," she said, glaring at her brother.

He scowled at her, then turned to look at Shikamaru and smirked. "Ah, so you are Shikamaru. I've heard much about your accomplishments in the war and with the Union. Sister, he is not a man to take lightly. He is considered the world'a top strategist — a genius," he said, looking over at his sister.

She narrowed her eyes at her brother, but said nothing.

"Tell me, Shikamaru, what brings you to us today," asked Haru, turning to look at Shikamaru. He had a look or genuine interest on his face, but the air about him reeked of confidence and self-assumed superiority over those around him. Beyond that, Shikamaru noticed that his glasses seemed very familiar.

"We would like to schedule a meeting with Goro to negotiate terms for a pact between your clan, the Dokusuto clan and the Masanori clan for leadership over the village. Chief Hiroki has asked us to speak with Goro, and we are here to learn more about what your clan's grievances are and help your three clans negotiate terms in a safe way that will please all parties," said Shikamaru.

"I see," said Haru, glancing at his sister. She was smirking at Shikamaru as if she found everything he said very amusing.

"Hiroki is a fool," said Haru. "The chances of all of our clans coming to an agreement is slim to none."

"I agree with you on that, brother of mine," said Aki. "Goro will lead this village back to its former glory before wars and the Akatsuki, and promises a brighter future for our people. He does not need the help of other leaders, particularly those he views a misguided."

"Misguided," asked Shikamaru, eyebrow raised.

"Yes. Dokusuto is a greedy, self-interested tiny man who has no desire to help this village — he only care about attaining more power and money for himself and his pitiful family. Masanori claims to care deeply about our village, but our visions to not mesh. His clan insights fear in our people, whereas our clan has done nothing but help them. And your Union," she said, spitting that last word out with disgust. "We do not need the help of outside villages who have done nothing but held us back or used our village as a battleground for their wars. We have no desire to be apart of your Shinobi Union."

Shikamaru furrowed his brow. Before he could retort, Temari spoke up and said, "I'm sorry, but are you sure you are understanding the mission of the Union correctly? We are working hard to partner together to avoid future wars. And as far as giving help to one another — no one is forcing you to give or take help from other villages. Especially if your village is not ready to do so."

"I think you are be one who misunderstands, Miss Temari," said Aki with a sneer. "We don't want anything to do with outside villages. At all. They are a nuisance. A hinderance. There is nothing else to discuss about this."

Temari gritted her teeth and Shikamaru tensed, feeling the heat of anger radiating from Temari'a body. He cleared his throat and continued.

"Well, we would still like to meet with Goro. Can you arrange that for us," he asked.

"I suppose," said Haru. "For a fee."

"A fee," said Shikamaru, inwardly rolling his eyes. "And what would that entail?"

"50,000 ryo, and a date with that pretty brunette you've got there," said Haru, winking at TenTen. Shikamaru blinked in surprise, then turned to look at TenTen.

TenTen tensed as her eyes widened, suddenly realizing what Haru just said and realizing that the attention was all on her. Then she scowled at him. Lee's eyes widened briefly in surprise, then he glared hard at Haru. Shikamaru was a little taken aback by Lee's response — his defense seemed more personal then just the defense of a close friend.

Shikamaru looked at Haru with a smirk and said, "eh, how about 500,000 ryo, and no date with the girl."

"We'll take it," said Aki excitedly — her brother had his brow furrowed and his mouth open as if to object Shikamaru's terms, but his sister interrupted him. He glared at her.

"Great," said Shikamaru. "Send one of your servants over. I'll have them go fetch the money from one of my teammates out front."

Aki snapped her fingers rapidly at one of the women waitresses standing off to the side. As she walked over, Aki barked "hurry up!"

"There's a man with the large group out front. Purple markings on his face and black cloth hat that drapes down to his shoulders. He should have a suitcase for me — tell him," Shikamaru motioned for the girl to come closer so he could whisper something to her.

She nodded, and turned to walk out of the room quickly.

"What was that all about," asked Haru, looking at Shikamaru suspiciously.

"I told her to tell him to give me all of it," he said, smiling innocently at them.

"Oh, I see," said Haru, though he didn't sound fully convinced.

"Lord Nara, I beg your pardon," said Aki, her voice a good two or three octaves higher than before and a smile firmly planted on her lips. "We haven't been the most hospitable of hosts. We haven't even offered our guests refreshments yet. Would you like something? We have an assortment of drinks and food. Perhaps lunch? I know you must be hungry—"

"No, thank you. We are fine. We will eat when we rendezvous with our team," said Shikamaru, firmly but not unkindly.

"Alright," said Aki. She seemed a little deflated, but no less happy than before.

"What is taking her so long. Really, Aki, where do you find these girls? Shikkotsu Forrest," asked Haru with an irritated grunt.

"Tsk tsk, Haru. Patience," said Aki, tapping her brother on the arm softly.

The girl walked in carrying a small black metal box. She placed it on the table in front of Shikamaru, who smiled up at her.

He pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the box, inspecting its contents.

Then he closed it, pressed a button on the front, and locked it, leaving the key in the lock. He smiled at the servant and said, "if you would," motioning for her to hand the money off to her mistress.

She picked up the box and brought it over to the table. Haru stared at it timidly, eyes narrowing as the box came closer and closer to their table. When she set it down, Aki reached toward it excitedly, but Haru touched her arm quickly, much to her surprise, looking at her firmly before moving across her to slide the box in front of himself.

He looks down at the box timidly, and turns the key. The box clicks open instantly, and he opens the lid slowly.

Inside the box is several bundles of ryo. He picked one bundle up and turned it around in his hands, inspecting it closely. He ran a thumb over the end of the bundle, making the money fan out. He paused a moment, then put in back in the box and closed the lid with a snap. He turned and motioned for a nearby guard.

"Count this," he said firmly. The guard picked up the box and brought it over to a nearby table, and opened the box without hesitation. He began to count the money — bundle after bundle, bill after bill. Every looked at him and waited.

When he finished counting, he nodded in affirmation at Haru, signaling that the money was all there. Haru grinned, and turned to his sister.

She looked as if she might burst with happiness. She turned to look at Shikamaru and smiled happily. "You shall have your meeting, Lord Nara. Sorry for the lengthy confirmation process — I'm sure a man of your statue understands."

Shikamaru nodded once, then said, "when could we meet Goro? Could we schedule something for tonight?"

"Let me check the appointment book," she said. She made a hand sign, and a black book appeared in front of her on the desk. She opened it, flipping rapidly through its pages until she came to the page she wanted and scanned it slowly.

"He will be at the club tonight. Goro's second brother, Koji. His club. Koji's Harem, he calls it," said Aki, smirking.

"Goji's…Harem," asked Shikamaru, brow furrowing. He didn't like the sound of that. "What sort of club is it?"

Both Haru and Aki smirked at Shikamaru darkly. "A co-ed nightclub," said Aki, glancing at Temari, TenTen and Lee. Her eyes fell on Lee and she winked. Lee blushed and fidgeted uncomfortably. TenTen furrowed her brow and frown slightly, and Temari glared at Aki.

"I'm not sure if that's a place we want to go. Can we meet him somewhere else," asked Shikamaru irritably.

"He is out of town today until then, then he has meetings tomorrow and will leave town tomorrow night for a business trip. This is his only opening for the next 24 to 48 hours," said Aki.

Shikamaru glanced at Temari, who was fuming. He sighed, the said, "alright. What time?"

"Are we leaving now," asked Kiba with a whine, lifting his head up from the soft fur on Akamaru's back and turning to look at the team members who were approaching the group. "Can we get some real grub now?"

Temari was ahead of the team, face red with anger. TenTen was behind her, brow furrowed and small frown still planted on her face. Lee and Shikamaru walked side by side, and seemed to have their shoulders hunched slightly. Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets and had his eyes firmly planted on the floor.

"Yeah, sure," muttered Shikamaru. "Let's get out of here. I don't want to spend a moment in this place longer than I have to."

"What happened, Shikamaru," asked Naruto.

"Later," said Shikamaru, shaking his head. "Lets go."

"Can we go back to that market? They had a small sushi place there," said Kurotsuchi, stretching.

"Whatever you guys want, let's just go," said Shikamaru, motioning toward the door. Everyone began to rise and move toward the door.

Kankuro moves to walk beside Shikamaru and he whispered, "so?"

"Yes," said Shikamaru, not meeting his eyes.

"Okay," said Kankuro, nodding. He looked ahead at his sister, who was march angrily out of the restaurant, waiting for no one. "What's got her panties in a wad?"

"Eh…" said Shikamaru nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "She's…not a big fan of our meeting place for Goro tonight."

"Well, where is it? I mean, it's not like it's a strip club or something," said Kankuro with a chuckle.

Shikamaru's face paled and his eyes widened. He said nothing and continued to look forward.

Kankuro turned to look at him and furrowed his brow. Then, suddenly his mouth gaped open. "Wait, What?!"

* * *

 

Jun opened her eyes slowly and looked around quickly. "Where…where am I," she shouted. She was sitting in a chair and felt her hands bound behind her back.

"The lower interrogation room of the police station," said a deep, familiar voice.

"Who are you," she said, feeling a strange fuzzy feeling in her head. It made her want to blink rapidly.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you tell me everything," said the voice. She felt a strange buzz in the back of her head with every word he said. She suddenly realized that the symptoms felt familiar. _Masanori Genjutsu_ , she thought. _Omaku…_

"Omaku, you snake! You let me out of here. You won't learn anything from me," she said, voice become hoarse. She was feeling so dizzy she felt as though she might vomit.

"I am on orders, Jun. I will get what I need from you. One way or another," he said. Suddenly, she felt a wave of dizziness hit her, and she threw herself forward, vomiting on the floor. But she didn't vomit the contents of her stomach — when she looked down, she has thrown up a black scroll that was still sticking out of her mouth. On the scroll were words — her inner most thoughts.

_This is genjutsu_

_Damn Masanori's_

_I'm so dizzy_

_I am going to be sick_

_Why is this happening_

_I feel betrayed_

_I am furious_

_He must not find out_

Her eyes widened in terror.

"I will find out, Jun. Making things easy on yourself and just tell me," said Omaku.

"No," she said, voice muffled and hoarse.

"You Dokusutos are all the same. Stupid and relentless. Fine, we will do things your way then," said Omaku.

Another wave of dizziness came over Jun, and she heard questions in her head. She felt more pressure in her stomach, and felt the urge to vomit again.

"Hiroki," she muttered angrily, venom laced within her voice. "I shall never forgive you for this…"

—-

A/N: sorry for the wait! You won't have to wait so long for chapter 31! It's almost done! Fingers crossed that I can get it done by EOD Monday!

Also, excuse any typos! Still looking for a beta!

and before you ask, we learn where the money came from in the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto and all recognizable characters belong to Kishimoto.


End file.
